With a weakened pound keeping British visitors away from Ireland, the country’s national tourism body has announced the appointment Julie Wakely to oversee its UK offices.

Taking up the role of head of Great Britain for Tourism Ireland, Wakley moves up from her position as deputy head covering consumer marketing, a role she had held since January 2016.

Prior to her time with Tourism Ireland, Wakley held positions as marketing manager for BBC Politics and Current Affairs between 2013 and 2016, and was part of the team responsible for the government’s ‘GREAT Britain’ campaign in 2012.

Official statistics show that inbound figures from Britain to Ireland have dropped 6.5 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2017, something heavily linked to the weakened economy caused by Brexit, with the drop in the value of the pound meaning trips abroad are more expensive for British visitors.

“Julie joins at a time when we are facing a number of challenges in Great Britain, not least Brexit and its impact on travel,” said Niall Gibbons, Tourism Ireland CEO. “Julie brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in international marketing and a very strong track record of achievement. She will play a pivotal role in implementing our strategy in the important British market.”

In a Tourism Ireland statement, the body acknowledged that travel to Ireland from Britain had been “impacted” by Brexit, and that it would continue to monitor developments closely, to better understand and plan for its implications.

Ireland – which shares a land border with Britain and relies heavily on British trade – is expected to be the one of the biggest losers within Europe in terms of Britain’s planned exit from the European Union.