LONDON, Nov 9: Pakistan may be earning a lot of notoriety in the UK these days because of the criminal doings of some British citizens with roots or connections in the troubled South Asian country, but as visitors the Pakistanis are said to be the highest average spenders per visit in Britain.

According to a news report published in the Evening Standard on Wednesday visitors from Pakistan have made the highest average spending per visit at £1,697. Visitors from Belgium had the lowest average spend per trip at £203.

The report suggests that a record number of visitors came to the UK despite the terror and disruption caused by the 7/7 bombing.

The number of trips made by overseas visitors reached 30 million for the first time last year — 2.2 million more than in 2004.

The visitors spent a record £14.2 billion, according to the Office for National Statistics.

London was the most popular destination. Just over half of all visitors to the UK spent at least one night in the capital.

However, the effect of the July 7 terrorist attacks was noticeable in a quarterly breakdown of the figures.

The January-March figure was up 13 per cent on 2004, while April-June was up 12 per cent. July to September's increase was only 4.2 per cent, while the figure for October-December was up by only 4.3 per cent.

The record figure was achieved despite a dip in the number of North American visitors last year — down three per cent to 4.2 million.

This is a trend felt worldwide. American tourist numbers have still not recovered following the Sept 11 terrorist attacks. The UK's total last year was 13 per cent down on the figure for 2000.

But visitors from the US still made their presence felt, spending £2.4 billion, more than those from any other country.

The statistics also showed the expansion of the EU led to a big increase in visitors last year from Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Last year, overseas visitors stayed an average of eight nights in the UK and splashed out £57 per day, or £471 per visit.

Most trips to the UK were short, with 43 per cent of visits lasting one to three nights.

The most popular place outside London to stay overnight was Edinburgh, followed by Manchester and Birmingham.

The ONS also revealed that UK residents made a record 66.4 million visits abroad — four per cent up on 2004 — and spent a record £32.2 billion — six per cent more than in 2004.