Visit Salt Lake (VSL), the organization tasked with attracting and providing support to conventions, leisure travelers and visitors to the Salt Lake City area, has announced the appointment of Kaitlin Eskelson as its new president and CEO, the fourth individual to hold the position in the organization’s 36-year history. Eskelson will assume her new role on March 16.
“We are so fortunate to have had a long history of highly qualified people leading Visit Salt Lake and, as a search committee, we wanted to make sure we did everything in our power to continue that legacy. We’re confident Kaitlin will continue that tradition,” said Taylor Vriens, chair of VSL’s board of directors and the search committee that chose Eskelson. “Kaitlin’s energy, vision, industry knowledge and tremendous preparation set her apart in the end. We had a very thorough, national search and received incredible interest in Salt Lake from a host of extremely talented and capable candidates. We are excited to welcome Kaitlin to the helm of Visit Salt Lake and are confident she will help move our destination forward to new heights.”
“I am thrilled to be a part of the Visit Salt Lake team and am honored to be in this role, which is both exciting and surreal,” said Eskelson. “Salt Lake is an incredible destination; it’s an incomparable combination of urban ethos and mountain mantra paired with world-class community, culture and cuisine. I look forward to sharing the Salt Lake story with the world.”
Eskelson’s career within the visitor economy is extensive and varied, including a seven-year stint with VSL from 2006-2013 as director of tourism sales and marketing. Following her initial time with VSL, Eskelson was the director of partner relations and international strategy for the Utah Office of Tourism from 2013-2017 and, most recently, executive director of the Utah Tourism Industry Association. Early in her career, Eskelson spent time with the Park City Chamber & Visitors Bureau.
Eskelson also sat on U.S. Travel’s ESTO Development Team and Brand USA’s Executive Marketing Committee and received U.S. Travel’s 2017 Best Cooperative Marketing Program award as well as VSL’s 2009 Dianne Nelson Binger Sales Leadership Award. In 2019, she authored the Utah Hospitality & Tourism Management Career Technical Education curriculum placing an emphasis on workforce development within high schools.
Eskelson received a bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Minnesota and a master of public administration degree from the University of Utah.