VisitBritain is responsible for promoting Britain as a world class tourist destination and for developing England’s visitor economy.

Tom Wright, chief executive of VisitBritain, said: “I am delighted to announce Laurence’s appointment. Laurence has a great track record in developing our England proposition and I know he will make a major contribution to the achievements of our overseas network going forward, working with all our strategic partners.”

At VisitBritain, Enjoy England, Bresh has led the 20-strong team responsible for the marketing of England to the British and also within near-European markets.

In addition, last year he took over responsibility for VisitBritain’s tourist information strategy and the development of the official web site for English tourism - enjoyEngland.com.

Prior to VisitBritain, Besh has held senior communications and marketing roles at a number of high-profile companies, including Safeway Stores, British Tourist Authority and Epic Group.

He said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been offered this role. There are some exciting prospects ahead for inbound tourism in both mature and emerging markets and I look forward to working closely with our excellent European team, as well as the industry and the tourist boards across Britain.”