A record number of tourists flocked to Britain last year, spurred on by the Royal Wedding and a favourable currency, reports Telegraph.co.uk.
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirm that the UK had a bumper year for tourism, welcoming 30.6 million overseas visitors - an increase of 800,000 on 2010.
In addition, the nation's overseas guests spent a record £17.8 billion throughout 2011; potentially supporting hotels, car hire firms, attractions and local businesses all over. The figure equates to an impressive personal expenditure of £600 per person, up five per cent year-on-year.
An extra 350,000 people came during April alone, mostly to see the matrimonious union of Prince William and Catherine Middleton - the now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
A weak pound was also encouraging for international visitors, according to Chris Lee, head of travel at Barclays Corporate. He noted that Indian and Chinese visitors in particular are coming to the country in more significant numbers year-on-year, thanks to their own economic prosperity.
However, it was the Americans which made up the most significant inbound tourist in 2011, as VisitBritain's strategy and communications director, Patricia Yates, told the Press Association.
"As we look back on a positive 2011 for both holiday visits and spending, we want to make sure we capitalise on these gains by helping boost jobs across the country and create a lasting tourism legacy for many years to come," she said.
"We are encouraged that the number of visitors coming to Britain from North America has risen. This is significant as we earn very nearly twice as much from US visitors than we do from any other source market."