Full Name
Rod Taylor
Job Title
Chief Executive Officer
Company/ Property
Legacy Tourism Group
Speaker Bio
Rod is the CEO of the Legacy Tourism Group a tourism consultancy and resort development firm located on Vancouver Island, BC. Legacy works with entrepreneurs and Indigenous communities helping to turn their tourism visions into reality. Legacy also works with provincial and municipal governments assisting with destination development projects.
Rod brings over 30 years of tourism management, infrastructure and product development, marketing and risk analysis to his position. He is the former CEO of Waste to Energy Canada (WTEC) a company that deployed a proprietary green technology around the globe. He is also the former VP of Operations of one of Canada’s largest private health care firms. Prior to joining Legacy he was the owner of Uncommon Journeys Ltd., an extremely successful adventure travel company that provided high-end summer and winter wilderness experiences including dogsledding, canoeing and hiking out of a boutique resort located outside of Whitehorse, Yukon. Uncommon Journeys was chosen as an iconic Canadian tourism experience as one of Destination Canada’s original “Signature Experiences” and was described as “The Best Dog Sledding Outfitter in Canada” by Canada’s national newspaper. The summer dogsledding program was also repeatedly chosen by guests of Holland America as one of the best shore excursions in all of North America.
Rod was appointed by the federal government to serve two terms as a Director of the Canadian Tourism Commission (now Destination Canada) Canada’s Crown Corporation responsible for marketing Canada to the world, He helped represent Canada’s north and SME’s and also served as the Chair of the Governance Committee. Rod was the Chair of the Yukon’s Tourism Industry Association for over five years, Director of the Wilderness Tourism Association, sat on the Board of the Yukon’s Senior Marketing Committee for over ten years as well as the Yukon Investment Strategy Committee. He was also a Director of Northern Vision Development, one of the largest hoteliers in Canada’s north.
Rod brings over 30 years of tourism management, infrastructure and product development, marketing and risk analysis to his position. He is the former CEO of Waste to Energy Canada (WTEC) a company that deployed a proprietary green technology around the globe. He is also the former VP of Operations of one of Canada’s largest private health care firms. Prior to joining Legacy he was the owner of Uncommon Journeys Ltd., an extremely successful adventure travel company that provided high-end summer and winter wilderness experiences including dogsledding, canoeing and hiking out of a boutique resort located outside of Whitehorse, Yukon. Uncommon Journeys was chosen as an iconic Canadian tourism experience as one of Destination Canada’s original “Signature Experiences” and was described as “The Best Dog Sledding Outfitter in Canada” by Canada’s national newspaper. The summer dogsledding program was also repeatedly chosen by guests of Holland America as one of the best shore excursions in all of North America.
Rod was appointed by the federal government to serve two terms as a Director of the Canadian Tourism Commission (now Destination Canada) Canada’s Crown Corporation responsible for marketing Canada to the world, He helped represent Canada’s north and SME’s and also served as the Chair of the Governance Committee. Rod was the Chair of the Yukon’s Tourism Industry Association for over five years, Director of the Wilderness Tourism Association, sat on the Board of the Yukon’s Senior Marketing Committee for over ten years as well as the Yukon Investment Strategy Committee. He was also a Director of Northern Vision Development, one of the largest hoteliers in Canada’s north.
