Inbound tourism to Britain in the first half of this year reached the highest level in history.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics figures reveal there were 16.4 million inbound visits to Britain from January to June 2014, setting a new record for this time period and an increase of 8% compared to the first half of 2013.
In June alone, 3.18 million visitors came to Britain, a 10% on June 2013.
Spending by visitors to Britain in June 2014 also increased, by 4% in nominal terms, setting a new June record of £1.97 billion.
Holiday visits reached 1.4 million, 12% up on 2013 and accounting for 44% of the total.
VisitBritain head of research and forecasting David Edwards said: "Tourism is an essential part of the wider success of our economy and these first six months have set us up for what could be another record year for inbound tourism.
"It’s also hugely positive to see growth both from our high volume European markets and also emerging markets across Asia and Latin America."
