LONDON, UK, 2014-6-17 — /Travel PR News/ — Chairman of VisitEngland, Lady Cobham has been awarded a CBE for services to Tourism it was announced at the weekend.
Lady Cobham’s career in tourism spans nearly 40 years. Her career began when she opened her private home Hagley Hall in Worcestershire to the general public in 1977 creating both a fantastic stately home experience for tourists as well as running a successful corporate events venue.
In 1987 she became Deputy Chair of the Heart of England and as a result was then asked to sit on the board of the English Tourist Board. Between 1989 and 1990 she sat on the boards of English Heritage, the Countryside Commission and Historic Royal Palaces. In 1992 she became Special Advisor at the Department for Heritage and Tourism, later to become The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS).
In 1993 Lady Cobham became a trustee at the V&A, a position that lasted for ten years, and joined the board of the British Waterways and the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) with direct responsibility for tourism. Also in 1993 she joined the board of VisitBritain and became Deputy Chairman in 2005.
She joined VisitEngland in 2009 when the tourist board was created and has been instrumental in driving forward the objectives of England’s Strategic Framework for Tourism to maximise tourism’s contribution to the economy, employment and quality of life in England.
Lady Cobham said:
“I’m surprised and delighted to receive such an award from The Queen. I’ve had many roles in tourism over the past 37 years and I’ve genuinely enjoyed every second of it. Tourism is incredibly important to our economy and I am committed to working with VisitEngland to drive forward the future growth of the visitor economy.”
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For more information or to set up interviews contact:
Sarah Long, Head of Corporate Communications Tel: 020 7578 1452, Mob: 07500555651, Email:sarah.long@visitengland.org Website: www.visitengland.org
Notes to editors
About VisitEngland
• VisitEngland is the country’s national tourist board. We work in partnership with the industry to develop the visitor experience across England, plan national tourism strategy, grow the value of tourism in England and provide advocacy for the industry and our visitors. Our work is underpinned by robust research and customer insights. You can access the latest in-depth market intelligence and statistics on www.visitengland.org/insight-statistics.
• England is a unique destination and a real powerhouse in global tourism. It represents 84 per cent of the total UK visitor economy, is worth £106 billion, and supports 2.6 million jobs.
• For corporate information see www.visitengland.org and for consumer information see www.visitengland.com.