Britain's religious buildings are sought after attractions for international tourists with 6.7 million visiting churches or cathedrals in 2011.

According to VisitBritain religious buildings are not a deciding factor in themselves for tourists planning to travel to the UK they have an important impact on visitor experience.

Visiting a religious site is most popular among Brazilians (55 per cent) followed by Australians and Americans (49 per cent) and Russians and Chinese (45 per cent).

In total, 22 per cent of last year's 31m visitors went to a religious site.

Chief executive at VisitBritain Sandie Dawe said overseas visitors rate Britain fourth out of 50 nations for built heritage, with films like Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code raising the prominence of its historic sites.

She said: "Whether it's for the glorious architecture, stained glass windows, connections with famous people or just peace and quiet - religious buildings have become a fundamental part of our tourism offering."

Those who did visit a religious building during their stay contributed £4.9b to the British economy during their stay.