Sir Patrick McLoughlin appointed as Visit Britain chairman
Former Conservative Party chairman and transport secretary Sir Patrick McLoughlin has been appointed as chair of the British Tourist Authority.
McLoughlin, who was MP from Derbyshire Dales between 1986 and 2019, will chair the Visit Britain tourism board for three years from 1 June, it was announced this morning.
He was government chief whip from 2010 to 2012, before becoming transport secretary in 2012.
McLoughlin was then appointed as chairman of the Conservativie Party and chancellor to the Duchy of Lancaster, positions he held until 2018.
Most recently Mcloughlin, who was knighted in David Cameron’s resignation honours list, was a member of the business select committee before stepping down at last year’s general election.
It was also announced today that former Brexit department chief of staff Nick de Bois has been appointed as chair of the Visit England advisory board.
De Bois, who was formerly special adviser to Dominic Raab, previously chaired the government’s UK Events Industry Board.
Today’s appointments come at a tough time for the British tourism industry, which has been severely impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.
The government is considering plans for an extra bank holiday in October to give some respite to the sector.
The proposal has been spearheaded by Visit Britain, which told MPs last week that the industry was on course to lose £37bn this year.