London has received a gold medal from tourists as it gets set to host the Olympics after being named the world’s best tourist destination.

The UK capital was number one in the world, in Europe and in the UK in a survey of world travellers by Trip Advisor, the global traveller review website. New York was second, Rome third and Paris fourth in the world list. In the list of best UK destinations, Edinburgh was second, Liverpool third and Torquay in Devon fourth.

Trip Advisor spokeswoman Emma Shaw said: “To be crowned the world’s best destination in the Olympic year by millions of travellers is a tremendous honour for London.

“It’s fantastic to see the capital recognised and rewarded by those that have really experienced the city – travellers themselves.”

Best world destination top 10: 1. London; 2. New York City; 3. Rome; 4. Paris; 5. San Francisco; 6. Marrakech, Morocco; 7. Istanbul; 8. Barcelona; 9. Siem Reap, Cambodia; 10. Berlin.

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