A total of 270,000 tourists from the country visited the UK in 2015 spending £586 million, an 18% increase on the previous year.

However, the figures pale when compared to the UK’s most valuable tourism source market, the US.

The number of Americans visiting the UK in 2015 grew by 10% to 3.3 million with a total record spend of £3 billion, the first time the figure has been hit.

The UAE also saw an impressive growth of 34% to 347,000 visitors with spend up 12% to £487 million

Tourism minister David Evennett said: "Our tourism industry is world-class and these impressive figures show that our nations and regions are increasingly benefitting from this thriving sector. 

"Britain boasts some of the best attractions in the world and drawing more visitors in from key markets like China and the US is fantastic news for the whole country and shows our tourism strategy is working." 

VisitBritain director Patricia Yates added: 

“Tourism is a fiercely competitive global industry so it is fantastic to see Britain competing strongly in our most valuable source markets such as the US as well as in the markets that are crucial for our future such as China.

“Our innovative digital marketing campaign using the hashtag #OMGB continues to drive tourism across our nations and regions, spreading its economic benefits across the UK.”