UK's National tourism agency VisitBritain has appointed Joss Croft as Regional Director for Europe.
Joss was recently acting marketing director for the organisation ahead of the appointment of Laurence Bresh last month and, prior to that, head of business visits and events at VisitBritain.
Joss brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role, including a period as manager of Spain and Portugal during which time visits to Britain from the region rose 59%.
Prior to starting at VisitBritain in 2000, Joss held sales and marketing positions at Visit London, Parc du Futuroscope and Disneyland Paris Resort.
Sandie Dawe, chief executive of VisitBritain said: "This is a fantastic appointment and with his experience of managing key European offices, Joss will be an invaluable addition to our international leadership team."
"His close working relationship with our strategic and trade partners, coupled with a strong commercial and sales background place him in a strong position to ensure we build value and deliver benefits for the nations and regions, our commercial partners and overseas customers."
More than 23 million visits were made to the UK from Europe last year, representing nearly three-quarters of all visits from overseas and contributing over £9 billion to the £114 billion visitor economy.
Joss takes up the post as figures for the first half of 2009 indicate that, although international visits in the first half of the year have certainly suffered from the effects of the economic climate, great exchange rates are making Britain even more appealing for Europeans.
Joss Croft adds: "I am really looking forward to taking up this role in a period that will surely see many more Europeans drawn to Britain as a result of us hosting the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. I want to ensure we take full advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and build Britain's competitiveness as a destination and widen the reach of tourism businesses throughout Europe.
"I've had a fantastic time in the business visits and events sector and will finish on a high with another sure-to-be-successful National Meetings Week that will 'Keep Britain Talking' and by bringing Event UK to fruition. I will also help recruit a replacement who will assure VisitBritain's continued commitment to business tourism and events."
Joss starts his new role on Monday, 28 September 2009.
For more information, visit VisitBritain
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