New analysis shows that 2012 saw a rise in the number of overseas visitors looking to experience the best of Britain, with Scotland proving an increasingly popular destination among visitors.

The figures were released by the VisitBritain. Unsurprisingly, London was the star performer in the year it hosted the Olympics, with nearly 15.5m visitors from around the world accounting for half of all visits to the UK.

Scotland was also a strong performer, with Edinburgh’s 1.3m visits coming in at second place on the table, while Glasgow (521,000) at sixth gained nearly 10 per cent more visits compared to 2011. Inverness (213,000) and Aberdeen (208,000) also feature in the Top 20 most visited destinations.

South of Hadrian’s Wall, Manchester received 932,000 visits maintaining its solid overseas visitor numbers, followed by Birmingham (713,000) and then Liverpool (550,000).

Elsewhere, Oxford witnessed 430,000 visitors staying ahead of Cambridge with 398,000.

Across in Wales, Cardiff (301,000) has moved up the leader board, with 41,000 more visits to the Welsh capital than in 2010.

The data also revealed a rise in overseas visitors heading to Stirling (+22%), Harrogate (+22%) and Salisbury (+10%).

Minister for tourism Hugh Robertson said: “We showcased the very best of Britain last year encouraging overseas visitors to come and see for themselves what our great country has to offer.

“Tourism spend is up and I am confident that the industry can continue to grow and increase its contribution to the economy further.”