Image: London has rated highly among visitors

A survey of overseas visitors to London conducted during the Olympic Games by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has shown that 99 per cent of visitors want to return to the city in the future.

PwC polled visitors to London between 29 July and 11 August, with 59 per cent of respondents giving the Olympic Games as the primary reason for their visit.

An overwhelming majority (95 per cent) enjoyed their stay, with more than half (55 per cent) rating their experience as excellent and a further 40 per cent describing it as good.

Aside from the Games, tourists rated heritage sites such as Buckingham Palace as their best experience, followed by the British people. Museums came third, with the city's atmosphere and parks in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Robert Milburn, hospitality and leisure leader at PwC, said: "The Games have clearly been a magnet for tourists, but London's visitors have enjoyed much more besides and the good news is they want to come back for more.

"The tourists we surveyed had a huge range of favourite experiences, from night life to architecture, reflecting the fact that London really does have something for everyone. We need to make sure we capitalise on London's current popularity.

"London isn't exactly renowned for being a friendly city, so it's surprising its people have made such a positive impression. The helpful and plentiful Olympic stewards probably explain a lot, but perhaps the Games are making us Londoners happier as well."

• Yesterday, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt launched a new tourism strategy that looks to benefit from the Olympic Games and increase inbound visits to the UK by a third. To read more, click here.

Image: Rob Wilson/shutterstock.com