Image: The Lowry Centre attraction in Manchester

New research from tourism agency VisitBritain has found that some of the UK's largest industrial cities have established themselves as popular destinations for overseas visitors.

London and Edinburgh remain as the country's two most popular urban destinations, but 2011 also saw cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol increase their global appeal.

Manchester reported a 15 per cent growth in visitors last year to 936,000, while Birmingham attracting 732,000 overseas residents. Liverpool also reported a double-digit increase in visitor numbers.

The capital topped the list with nearly 15.3 million visitors according to the International Passenger Survey. Other top 10 UK cities include Glasgow, Oxford and Cambridge.

Visitor numbers to Scotland as a whole remained level with numbers for 2010 (2.3 million), but spending did reach a record £1.49bn when compared with the previous year.

Wales attracted 0.88 million tourists in 2011 - almost the same number of visitors as 2010 - and Northern Ireland experienced a 5 per cent drop, with 0.34 million visits overall.

VisitBritain strategy and communications director Patricia Yates said: "These results confirm international visitors who might come here because of the global appeal of London are starting to appreciate our vibrant cities outside the capital."

Details: www.visitbritain.org

Image: Nigel Homer