London: World’s tourist town

LONDON  London attracted 17.4 million tourists in 2014, according a survey by the national statistics office.
The figures reflect a 3.5% increase from 2013, which was also a record year, according to the Office for National Statistics International Passenger Survey.
“The city proved to be one of the world’s biggest tourist magnets,” the city’s promoters, London & Partners, said Wednesday.
The MasterCard global destination cities index for last year rated the British capital as the top city destination for tourists, followed by Bangkok and Paris.
inside no 10However, critics say the city is flooded with tourists and foreign workers, making it difficult to interact with genuine Londoners.
London & Partners said events like an exhibition of the work of French artist Henri Matisse at gallery the Tate Modern, the Tour De France Grand Depart cycling event and the Wimbledon Tennis Championships added to the city’s appeal.
The growth in visitors is a continuation of a trend begun in 2012, when London hosted the Summer Olympics.
Tourists injected UKP11.8 billion (USD18.3 billion, 16.5 billion euros) into the British capital’s economy last year, a 3% rise from 2013, according to London & Partners.
“These terrific new figures confirm that record numbers of tourists are spending record amounts of dosh in our amazing city,” London mayor Boris Johnson said in a statement.
“With incredible attractions like the Rugby World Cup heading our way, we look forward to welcoming many thousands more visitors to London.”

sourced:ttrweekly.com