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Ottawa Tourism chair Daniel Laliberte. (Darren Brown, OBJ)

There's been a changing of the guard at Ottawa Tourism.

Capital Kiosk Inc.'s John Murray will serve as chair for the next 12 months, replacing Ottawa Marriott general manager Daniel Laliberte.

Mr. Laliberte was at the helm for three successive annual terms, most recently presiding during the drafting of a Premier Ranked Tourist Destination Project that was done in partnership with the Ontario government and others.

The project noted that Ottawa's tourist numbers have remained strong throughout the last year, but warned more focused development was needed in key areas such as customer service and language offerings to make sure the city remains attractive as a destination.

"Recent tourism data show Ottawa is well positioned compared to other Canadian cities," Mr. Murray said, referring to the report that was released in draft form last week at Ottawa Tourism's annual general meeting.

"I'm excited by the rich tourism resources we have in the Ottawa region and their potential to excel."

Following recommendations from the draft guidelines, Mr. Murray has pledged to:

• Develop a strategic, long-term plan to develop Ottawa's tourism destinations in concert with each other;

• Work more closely with tourism partners such as the National Capital Commission, Tourisme Outaouais and the City of Ottawa;

• Further develop the Ottawa Tourism website into one that offers e-commerce dealings such as hotel room bookings.

Mr. Murray was previously treasurer and vice-chair of Ottawa Tourism, and has also been involved with the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce.

The board of directors positions were also reduced to 21 from 31 at the annual general meeting.