Bedingfield, 41, will join the body in June as England marketing director at a pivotal moment for the £60bn domestic tourism industry.
His task will be to build on the 135 million overnight trips taken in England last year by promoting domestic attractions and regions as the natural choice for longer holidays.
Bedingfield joins VisitBritain with a strong track record in the travel and leisure industries. In addition to his three years at P&O Cruises, he has also worked in marketing posts for Hertz (UK), Avis Europe and Thomas Cook.
He said: "I see this role as a wonderful opportunity to boost English tourism by introducing a strong voice and credible marketing. The English tourism product has improved almost beyond recognition in the past decade, and it's time to wake people up to all the fantastic places to visit and things to do on their own doorsteps."
Among Bedingfield's first priorities will be to supervise the launch of a £4m domestic campaign, the first time in ten years that English holidays will have been promoted on TV. The ads, created by WCRS, will be launched by tourism minister Kim Howells on April 23 - both St George's Day and Shakespeare's birthday.
Bedingfield is set to work closely with the England Marketing Advisory Board to develop a long-term marketing strategy for England that complements those of Britain, Scotland, Wales and the English regions.
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