London's No.1 for overseas visitors
By Anne Campbell, Metro
Last updated at 09:15 16 January 2004
Europe pips Paris to the post
London is the most popular city break destination in Europe, new figures show.
Of 11.6 million foreign tourists, 2.5 million came from the US.
The French are the second most likely to visit, more than 1 million crossing the Channel in 2002.
In the same year, London welcomed 16.1million British visitors.
The capital also had a good start to 2003, with 5.3million overseas visitors in the first six months - 100,000 more than in the first half of 2002.
An expected surge at the end of last year will probably mean London is again top European capital in 2004, according to market analyst Mintel.
'Many visitors are coming to London's new and redeveloped attractions, as well as the old favourites, many of which are now free,' said Mintel's Yasmin Razak.
The city's most popular attractions were the British Museum and Tate Modern, which each had 4.6million visitors in 2002, said Mintel.
The growth in low-cost airline routes, connecting the capital with a number of new places in Europe, fuelled the revival, she added.
Most watched News videos
- New video shows Epstein laughing and chasing young women
- British Airways passengers turn flight into a church service
- Epstein describes himself as a 'tier one' sexual predator
- Skier dressed as Chewbacca brutally beaten in mass brawl
- Two schoolboys plummet out the window of a moving bus
- Buddhist monks in Thailand caught with a stash of porn
- Melinda Gates says Bill Gates must answer questions about Epstein
- Police dog catches bag thief who pushed woman to the floor
- Holly Valance is shut down by GB News for using slur
- JD Vance turns up heat on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
- Sarah Ferguson 'took Princesses' to see Epstein after prison
- China unveils 'Star Wars' warship that can deploy unmanned jets
