One of the best-known figures in Bath has been chosen as one of the faces of a new campaign to promote Britain.

The Jane Austen Centre in Gay Street says its meeter and greeter Martin Salter must be one of the most photographed people in the country.

And now a picture of the 46-year-old will be used in promotional material for British Tourism Week.

The initiative, which begins on March 15, aims to highlight the importance of the industry which is one of the biggest employers in the city.

The picture of Mr Salter dressed in his Regency costume was selected from thousands of entries for a poster competition and will now be seen around the world.

The image was submitted to tourism week organisers at the official agency VisitBritain by David Lassman, who is press and public relations manager for the attraction.

He said: "I am not surprised Martin has been picked, as he does such a great job representing Bath that he is an obvious choice to promote British tourism both here and abroad."

The week stresses the role of the country's £114 billion-a-year visitor economy and highlights the contribution made by businesses and individuals to the tourism industry.

Mr Salter, who was previously the ceremonial pumper at the Roman Baths, has won a night for two at a four-star hotel.

He said: "I thoroughly enjoy welcoming all the visitors and promoting my home city of Bath, but to be chosen to do this for Britain is just fantastic and quite overwhelming."

Lucy Weaver, spokeswoman for marketing body Bath Tourism Plus, said: "Martin is a very popular character in Bath. He must feature in thousands of visitors' photos and every day helps tourists from around the world, so it's great to see that he has been selected to help promote British Tourism Week."