London's foreign tourists record

The Tate Modern is a popular tourist attraction

London welcomed a record 15.2 million overseas visitors last year, according to the latest figures.

The 2006 total was 9.4% up on 2005, Visit London, the official visitor organisation for the city, said.

The foreign tourists spent £7.5bn during their stays in London last year, compared with £6.9bn in 2005.

The largest increase in visitor numbers came from Europe, up 11.6% to 9.6 million, followed by the USA, up 5.2% to 2.4 million.

Number one city

Despite a weakening American dollar, spending by American visitors rose to £1.5 billion, the highest figure since 2000.

Visit London chief executive James Bidwell said: "London remains the number one city destination in the world and the latest visitor numbers confirm this.

"Tourism is worth around £15bn a year to the London economy and sustained increases over time result in an increase in the number of jobs created for the economy."

London mayor Ken Livingstone said: "Record tourist numbers show the impact of London's profile on the world stage."