Arthur will take up the role and a place on the BBC Worldwide board on March 31 and will report directly to John Smith, chief executive of BBC Worldwide.
His remit includes the development of the Lonely Planet travel information brand acquired by BBC Worldwide in October 2007, working with Judy Slatyer, Lonely Planet chief executive.
He will retain his responsibility for the delivery of the infrastructure for BBC Worldwide websites , and , which he was handed in 2007 after being appointed London magazines managing director in 2005.
Smith said: "Marcus's strategic insight, ability to cut through complex situations and proven team leadership skills will be invaluable as we build our top brands globally. He has already done a tremendous job leading the rollout of our passion sites and will, I know, be a huge asset to our board."
Arthur began his career in advertising sales for BBC Good Food at Redwood Publishing, which was then majority-owned by BBC Magazines.
When BBC Worldwide brought all its titles in-house, Arthur became publisher of the food group of magazines in 1997 and over the next three years added Gardening, Homes and Top Gear titles to his brief. In 2002, Radio Times was added to his responsibilities.
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