Inspirational ideas for group days out and holidays

London & Partners, the capital's official promotional agency, has revealed an almost unprecedented number of visits to London attractions this July.

Attendance at the 33 surveyed attractions totalled 4.47 million visits in July, representing a year on year growth of 12.7%.

June also saw an annual increase of 8.6%, mitigating the slight decline seen in May, as fine weather saw visitor numbers at many of London's indoor attractions decrease. As a result, between May and July, visitor figures were up 5.3% over the same period in 2010.

Free attractions in particular were enjoying higher visitor numbers than average, with a year on year increase of almost 18%.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: "London offers an incredible range of things to see and do for both Londoners and visitors alike. The variety of attractions on offer during the summer has been fantastic with events like London Pride, Wimbledon, Chelsea Flower Show and a jubilant Notting Hill carnival all wowing the crowds in huge numbers.

"This weekend we saw 800,000 people gathering on the South Bank for the Thames Festival and with more exciting events coming up over the following months, we hope to continue to attract record numbers of visitors to this great city."

Gordon Innes, CEO, London & Partners said: "The latest figures indicate an underlying strength in London's visitor economy over the summer period. We are pleased to see that London's attractions have thrived despite the cool and unsettled weather throughout June and July."

Source: London & Partners