Buckingham Palace has been revealed as the number one attraction for tourists visiting the UK following a survey of more than 10,000 people conducted by VisitBritain.

Out of 19 countries surveyed, 15 named Buckingham Palace as the “dream” activity to do while in the UK with viewing London from the Shard or the London Eye coming in second place and visiting Edinburgh Castle came third on the list.

The desire to visit Chatsworth House and its expansive gardens was particularly common in markets where TV shows such as Downton Abbey are shown while the French, position ‘wildlife spotting in the Scottish Highlands’ as their number one activity, with Argentina, Germany and Poland ranking it second and Russians placing it third.

The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, along with VisitBritain’s marketing of Britain as a destination with attractive natural scenic beauty, seems to have changed perceptions of Britain’s countryside. All countryside- based ‘dream activities’ attractions, such as the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands and Snowdonia, were ranked highly by respondents. Post-Games research also suggests that 75 per cent of tourists agreed the UK has plenty of interesting places to visit outside London.

Eating fish and chips tends to split opinion across all markets. The Indians rank it as their lowest ‘dream activity’ and the Argentinians, Chinese, Mexicans and Polish all place it second to last. However, fish and chips by the sea is immensely desirable for Americans and Canadians, who rank it as their third highest ‘dream activity’ to do while in the UK.

Long haul and emerging markets have a tendency to stick to London attractions, whereas markets such as Italy, Germany and France want to explore and venture out across the country with their choice activities.