Meet Our Team
Gina Bethell, Business Development Manager
Gina brings more than 15 years of experience in the tourism industry, with the past decade focused on meetings, conferences, and destination sales. She holds a degree in Tourism Management from Vancouver Island University and a certificate in Event Management.
Originally from England and raised in Nanaimo, Gina developed an early passion for travel and destination development, including time working in Whitehorse, Yukon. For the past nine years, she has proudly championed Nanaimo as a meetings and conferences destination.
Her favourite part of the role is welcoming planners to Nanaimo and helping them discover the character, beauty, and sense of place that make the destination unique. Gina is always happy to connect and help bring meetings and conferences to life.
gina@tourismnanaimo.com | 250-816-2856
Sydney Solland, Sport Tourism Coordinator
Sydney has over 11 years of experience in tourism and hospitality, with a focus on destination services, visitor experience, and stakeholder support. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Tourism and Hospitality Management from Okanagan College and is currently completing her master’s degree at Vancouver Island University.
She began her career with Tourism Kelowna, where she spent five and a half years supporting the destination, including four years managing the Visitor Centre—building a strong foundation in visitor services, industry relations, and destination marketing.
Now based in Nanaimo, Sydney supports sport and event organizers through bid development, venue and hotel coordination, familiarization visits, and collaboration with sport organizations at all levels. She is passionate about the role destination organizations play in building strong communities and is always happy to connect to explore hosting opportunities in Nanaimo.
sydney@tourismnanaimo.com | 250-268-2261
Ready to experience Nanaimo firsthand? Connect with Gina or Sydney to book a personalized FAM tour and explore how Nanaimo can support your next meeting, conference, or sporting event.
For additional details, visit Sports Hosting in Nanaimo, or Meetings and Conferences in Nanaimo.