James Leppan

Background

About James Leppan

I was born in Zimbabwe and found myself in Canada in 2011 after almost 8 years with Princess Cruises, rising up the ranks to Manager for Photography and Videography. I was exceptionally lucky to travel to all 7 continents during this time and had the unique opportunity to visit Antarctica 6 times! In 2016 I became a citizen and in 2018 was appointed the Executive Director for the Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association (GPRTA), prior to moving to Edmonton in 2019 to take up a role with the provincial tourism organization, Travel Alberta, as the lead for northern Alberta region, and later, Destination Development Manager for Edmonton region and Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo. I completed the Certified Destination Management Professional designation through Destinations International in 2023 and sit on two subcommittees - Learning & Development and Social Inclusion. In 2024, I was appointed to the board of the Culinary Tourism Alliance of Canada. I am a registered civil marriage officiant for the Province of Alberta, appointed initially in 2017 and reappointed in 2022. As the Senior Manager, Destination Development, for Explore Edmonton, I enjoy travelling the province (and indeed, the world) and advocating for the visitor economy (and searching for that perfect cup of coffee).