Tourism in London facts

1. The number of jobs supported by tourism is set to increase by 250, 000 between 2010 and 2020, from 2.645 million to 2.899 million. One in twelve jobs in the UK is currently either directly or indirectly supported by tourism.

2. Tourism is the UK’s third highest export earner behind chemicals and financial services, with tourists spending more than £16bn annually and contributing over £3bn to the Exchequer.

3. Britain's tourism "brand" ranked 5th in the world with experts praising our rich, historic buildings and monuments while recognising the country's vibrant city life.

4. In 2010 the most number of overseas visitors to Britain came from France, Germany and the USA, accounting for one in three tourists.

5. The British Museum was the most popular attraction in the UK in 2010 welcoming 5.8 million people through it's doors.

6. The Royal family generate close to £500 million every year for British tourism with The Tower of London, Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace the most popular Royal destinations.

7. In 2010, 29.627 million people visited Britain, spending an average of £563 per person and staying for seven days.

8. In 2010 more than 70 per cent of inbound visitors reached the UK by air.

9. London remains the key attraction for overseas visitors with more than 14.6 million spending time in the capital last year and spending over £8.6 billion.