VisitEngland chairman Lady Cobham received her CBE for services to tourism from the Prince of Wales today.
The award was announced in the Honours List in June,
Lady Cobham, who joined the domestic tourism board in 2009, said: “I’m delighted to receive my CBE from HRH The Prince of Wales today. The experience has been unforgettable.
“I’ve had many roles in tourism over the past 37 years and I’ve genuinely enjoyed every second of them. I am committed to working with VisitEngland in the future to drive forward the growth of an industry that I believe is critical to our economy.”
Lady Cobham’s career in tourism began when she opened her private home, Hagley Hall, in the West Midlands to the public in 1979.
She became deputy chairman of the Heart of England Tourist Board in 1987 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 of National Heritage, later to become the Department for Culture Media and Sport.
The following year she joined the board of VisitBritain and became deputy chairman in 2005. Lady Cobham remains a board member of VisitBritain.