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London welcomed more than 750,000 fewer visitors from European Union countries last year in a “Brexit boycott” that will alarm tourism bosses, official figures reveal today.

A total of 7.69 million people from EU member states came to London for holidays or business trips in the first nine months of the year, down nine per cent on the record 8.44 million in the same period in 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The overall number of overseas visits to the capital fell almost one million, from 15.24 million to 14.22 million over the period.

However, there was a recovery over the peak summer months of July, August and September, when the total was slightly up on 2017.

This was largely because of a spike in visitors from North America, primarily the US, drawn by the strength of the dollar against the pound.

However, in a further worrying trend the figures reveal a sharp slump in spending by foreign visitors, reversing rising tourism revenue since the 2012 Olympics.

Total spending by foreign visitors to London in the first nine months of the year fell by more than £1.3 billion, or 12 per cent, from £10.51 billion to £9.18 billion.

Over the summer quarter the fall was even bigger — a 19 per cent drop from £4.39 billion to £3.54 billion. London is still one of the most visited cities in the world but is in danger of losing its mantle as the number one destination to rivals such as Bangkok, Paris and Dubai if the trend continues.

West End bosses warned before Christmas that they expected spending to be slightly down over the festive season largely because there were fewer foreign tourists in London.

The fall in tourist visits came against a backdrop of ferocious political infighting over Brexit that has dominated international news coverage of Britain.

It also follows the terrorist attacks and Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017 which are thought to have deterred some visitors making their holiday plans.

A third factor could be a worldwide backlash against “overtourism”, with many holidaymakers preferring remote locations to the most popular big cities.

For the UK as a whole, the number of foreign visits fell 3 per cent to 10.8 million in the third quarter of the year while spending was down 15 per cent at £7.2 billion, the ONS data reveals.

London accounts for around half of all foreign trips to the UK.

The disappointing figures come despite the steep fall in the value of the pound since the 2016 referendum, which had made Britain a cheaper destination for many foreigners, and the lure of the royal wedding last May.