VisitBritain has released new research looking at how the tourism industry can make the most out of the UK's £7bn culture and heritage sector to attract overseas tourists.

The ‘Leveraging our Heritage and Culture’ report, the result of a partnership between Britain’s tourism body and the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), has set out to define how the sector can evolve its marketing to encourage visits, both from first-timers and returning tourists.

Having surveyed Britain’s largest tourism source markets – the USA, Germany and France – it was found that the UK already performs well on tangible and rational heritage and that 53 per cent of respondents see culture and heritage as their main motive for visiting Britain.

The participants’ view of culture was found to be broad, with respondents stating that they wanted an experience that was unique to their destination, with 82 per cent of people eager to absorb Britain’s culture and heritage through local markets.

It was also found that 81 per cent of people asked would also like to explore via local food and drink, with smaller percentages coming in the form of natural beauty (78 per cent), architecture (69 per cent) and castles (68 per cent).

Such are current levels of interest in British cultural offerings, it was also found that of the 33 million visitors who came to Britain last year, half included a trip to a museum, around 40 per cent visited a castle and just over one quarter enjoyed an art gallery.

Despite the prominent interest in Britain’s cultural and heritage sector, England’s capital London is believed to offer the most expensive cultural experience in Europe, according to a recent study.

Using the percentages found in the new report, it is hoped that the tourism sector can harness new ways to promote Britain’s most popular offerings to sustain the standout visitor levels experienced in the past year.

The report also indicates that there is a clear thirst for more information on how to explore more of Britain’s culture and heritage, with suggestions being made for heritage-specific itineraries based on different themes and regions of Britain.

Calls have also been made for more information on how to get around the country and what to see outside of London.