Britain‘s major museums and galleries earned the country £1 billion in revenue from overseas tourists last year.
Among the 30 million inbound visits in 2009, 7.7 million included trips to museums and 4.2 million art galleries.
The statistics come from responses to a VisitBritain sponsored question on the International Passenger Survey which asked about a range of activities that visitors may have undertaken during their stay.
The French proved the top museum fans just ahead of American tourists, both countries accounting for around 960,000 museum visitors while over half a million Germans and Spanish also visited.
For art galleries, Americans tourists took the top spot with well over 500,000 visits.
Sandie Dawe, chief executive, VisitBritain said: "This survey showcases the international appeal of Britain’s culture and heritage – where else could you see Grand Masters next to cutting edge installations, a Spitfire hanging next to a Dali?
"We are fortunate in the authenticity of what we have to promote and the connections that our rich culture makes across the world.”
by Debbie Ward
