London is 'the UK's main attraction'

Nearly every overseas visitor to London would recommend a visit to the UK capital to their friends, a new survey reveals.

Four out of five overseas visitors said their first impression of London was either 'excellent' or 'good', while 98 per cent would tell their pals it was worth a visit.

And in a view that might not be shared by London's commuters, nearly two thirds of visitors, when asked how London could be improved, said there could be no improvements.

Visit London's annual London overseas visitor survey also shows that nearly half of overseas visitors think London is Britain's principal attraction – up from 31 per cent in 2004.

James Bidwell, chief executive of Visit London said: "The results of this year’s overseas visitor survey reveal the high esteem and loyalty that foreign visitors hold for London. Clearly London holds a fascination for visitors time and time again and is the top city destination in the world."

The survey also appears to disprove the myth that Londoners are unfriendly. Eighty-four per cent of tourists found Londoners either 'very friendly' or 'friendly'.

This view was most prevalent among visitors from non-EU Europe and the USA/Canada, where in both cases 89 per cent of visitors thought this.

More than 90 per cent of visitors rated London as very safe or fairly safe, and nearly a third expect to return to London in the next 12 months.