VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright is to leave the organisation after more than six years.



His decision comes against a backdrop of government budget cuts and a restructuring of the national tourism organisation.

Wright is to become chief executive of a new charity to be formed from the merger of Age Concern England and Help the Aged next year.



He will leave VisitBritain after an “appropriate handover period”, a statement said.



A search has begun for a successor to Wright.

VisitBritain chairman Christopher Rodrigues said: “Tom has been an excellent chief executive for VisitBritain and we will miss him.



“He has guided this organisation for almost seven years and delivered tremendous value to the visitor economy.



“Now that we are reaching completion of the Tourism Framework Review and preparing the restructuring of VisitBritain to separate VisitEngland with its own CEO, alongside a streamlined VisitBritain, I understand his desire for a new challenge and, on a personal level, I am delighted he has chosen to accept such a challenging and prestigious role.”

Wright said: “It has been a great pleasure and honour to lead VisitBritain through some exciting and challenging times and I believe we have a highly effective and well respected team to lead VisitBritain and VisitEngland towards the major opportunity of 2012 and also to address the current economic downturn.



“The new Framework will also lead to a more effective and efficient approach as to how all the tourism agencies work together.”



by Phil Davies