Overseas residents completed 3.2 million visits to the UK in July 2012, a fall of 5 per cent compared with July 2011.
The figures, from the Office for National Statistics. also show that overall spending by visitors was down 6 per cent for the month.
The London Olympics opened on 27 July and closed on 12 August. Most visits to the UK for the Olympics will have been completed in August and will therefore not be reflected in this July publication.
According to
research by VisitBritain, the 2012 Games have improved the UK's appeal abroad and are likely to attract more visitors in the years ahead.