Tourist body VisitBritain, which promotes the UK overseas and England to domestic tourists, is to lose its chairman this summer.

Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge, who has been chairman since January 2005, said he would step down in June because he could no longer commit enough time to the role.

Marshall is chairman of Normura International, Pirelli and the board of governors of Birbeck College – University of London.

He said: “The industry deserves the best we can provide for it and I have now reached the point where the competing commitments on my time make it sensible for me to pass the VisitBritain baton to another chairman.”

The post of chairman of VisitBritain is a non-executive role appointed by the Department for Culture Media and Sport.

By Chris Druce

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