Championing the vibrant spirit of British hospitality across the globe requires an exceptional leader with a true passion for exploration and cultural connection. At the very forefront of this mission stands a visionary who has dedicated her career to transforming how the world views travel to the United Kingdom. With an inspiring journey that began in the analytical world of physics and moved gracefully into media and advocacy, her professional trajectory proves that curiosity and a drive to simplify complex ideas can elevate an entire industry.
Her remarkable ascent to the highest echelons of national tourism began with a profound foundation in consumer advocacy and journalism, where she sharpened her skills by uncovering the finest travel experiences for everyday holidaymakers. By leading essential research, pioneering iconic hotel guides, and campaigning fiercely for consumer rights, she discovered early on how deeply travel enriches human lives. This deep appreciation for the traveler perspective allowed her to see tourism not merely as leisure, but as a crucial economic engine capable of uniting global cultures.
Stepping into the national tourism agency, she spent nearly two decades expertly guiding communication and strategic development before taking the mantle of Chief Executive Officer. Her brilliant leadership has successfully repositioned tourism as a vital export industry, showcasing the unique heritage, breathtaking landscapes, and diverse local communities of England, Scotland, and Wales. By fostering powerful international partnerships and executing cutting-edge global marketing campaigns, she has ensured that the warmth of British culture resonates across every continent.
Beyond navigating the complexities of economic strategy, her true legacy is defined by her unwavering resilience and commitment to a sustainable future. Facing unprecedented global challenges, she fearlessly steered the hospitality sector toward a triumphant recovery while simultaneously driving a crucial movement toward absolute sustainability. Her inspiring dedication to nurturing a greener, more inclusive visitor economy ensures that future generations will continue to be welcomed by a thriving, beautiful, and deeply supportive Britain.
Sharing the wonder of Britain with every corner of the globe, one extraordinary journey at a time.
There is a country that has given the world Shakespeare and the Beatles, Newton and Turing, the Houses of Parliament and the Highlands of Scotland, the white cliffs of Dover and the soaring arches of St Pancras station. A country whose cities pulse with creative energy and whose countryside breathes with a beauty so quiet and so profound that it stops the traveller in their tracks. A country of ancient castles and cutting-edge design, of Michelin-starred kitchens and centuries-old market towns, of coastlines that stretch in every direction and cultures that have drawn the world to their shores since time immemorial. That country is Britain — and the organisation entrusted with sharing its wonders with every corner of the globe is VisitBritain, one of the most inspiring and purposeful national tourism agencies on earth.
VisitBritain is the British Tourist Authority, operating as the national tourism agency and funded by the United Kingdom Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Its mission is to raise Britain’s profile internationally, grow the volume and value of tourism exports, and support the development of England’s visitor economy. It is a mission as expansive as the country it represents and as deeply felt as the pride that every corner of Britain inspires in those fortunate enough to know it well. Tourism is an industry worth £127 billion annually to the British economy, supporting 3.1 million jobs and two hundred thousand small-to-medium sized businesses, many of them in coastal towns and rural destinations that depend, in no small part, on the work that VisitBritain carries out each and every day.
Established under the Development of Tourism Act 1969, VisitBritain has spent more than five decades building Britain’s reputation as one of the world’s truly great travel destinations, working in partnership with organisations of every size and across every sector of the tourism industry. From its earliest campaigns encouraging postwar travellers to discover Britain’s heritage and hospitality, to the sophisticated global marketing strategies of the present day, the organisation has evolved with remarkable consistency of purpose — always animated by the same fundamental conviction: that Britain has something extraordinary to offer every visitor, from every nation, at every stage of life.
VisitBritain positions Britain as a dynamic, sustainable and inclusive destination, prioritising the regional and seasonal dispersal of tourism to drive productivity across the nations and regions. It is an approach that reaches far beyond the obvious landmarks and celebrated cities — into the valleys of Wales, the islands of Scotland, the market towns of England, and the wild Atlantic coastline of the far north and west, ensuring that the benefits of international tourism flow to every community that deserves to share in them. Through strategic campaigns and partnerships of genuine ambition, VisitBritain inspires global audiences to choose Britain as their next destination, ensuring that every nation and region of the United Kingdom benefits from the economic growth that international tourism generates.
In 2026, VisitBritain is operating with a momentum and confidence that reflects the extraordinary richness of what Britain has to offer the world this year. The country has stepped into 2026 with fresh energy, bringing its stories to life in exciting new ways — history meeting high-tech, castles receiving digital makeovers, coastlines becoming epic trails, and film and television productions putting the nations and regions firmly centre stage. The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, the Women’s T20 World Cup, the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, the reopening of the London Museum in the heart of the City, and the debut of V&A East in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park — 2026 is a year of cultural abundance, and VisitBritain is ensuring that the world knows it. The organisation is also spearheading the most ambitious United Kingdom Government-supported trade mission ever mounted on American soil, with the United States forecast to inject a staggering £7.5 billion into the British economy in 2026 alone — a four per cent rise on the previous year, and a testament to the enduring magnetism of this country in the eyes of the world.
The spirit that animates VisitBritain is, at its finest, the spirit of Britain itself — generous, curious, creative, and ceaselessly proud of what this island nation has built and shared across the centuries. It is an organisation that understands, with rare clarity, that tourism is never merely an economic transaction. It is a profoundly human one. Every visitor who stands before Stonehenge at dawn, or wanders the cobbled lanes of Edinburgh’s Old Town, or watches the sun set over the Pembrokeshire coast, or savours their first meal in a great British restaurant — every one of those moments is a connection forged between Britain and the world that endures long after the journey home. VisitBritain exists to make those moments happen, and in doing so, it carries one of the most uplifting mandates in public life: to share with the world the very best of this brilliant, beautiful, and boundlessly inspiring country.
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