Revealed: The UK's hottest tourist destinations

Edinburgh has been voted the UK's top tourist spot for 2016.
Edinburgh is the most popular destination for UK holidaysEdinburgh is the most popular destination for UK holidays
Edinburgh is the most popular destination for UK holidays

A survey of 10,000 holiday-goers has revealed the 50 towns and cities Brits are swarming to this summer.

Edinburgh emerged the winner, beating London to the top spot in the table – with 15% of those surveyed saying they’ll be visiting the Scottish capital this summer.

Home to the likes of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the city attracts over 2.15m domestic visitors per year according to recent government figures.

Its airport, meanwhile, is the UK’s sixth busiest, facilitating over 30,000 passengers a day.

In total, Scotland contributed to over 10% of the list, compiled by Pegasus Marine Finance - with Highlands hotspot Inverness joining Edinburgh in the top 10.

Scotland’s second city, Glasgow, was named the UK’s 21st most popular staycation destination - while Loch Lomond tourist spots Aberfoyle and Inverary also made the longlist.

Across the border, 1 in 10 participants said that they would be visiting London this summer - asserting its own dominance on the UK’s tourism industry – while Bournemouth, Manchester and Whitby made up the top five.

The North of England is particularly well-represented in the table - with Newcastle (17th), Durham (30th), Barnard Castle (33rd), South Shields (34th) and Northumberland’s Alnwick (42nd) and Berwick (43rd) all featuring in the top 50.

The Lake District also fared well, thanks to the growing allure of Kendal, Keswick and Penrith.

Five Welsh hotspots also made the list – Cardiff, Abergavenny, Newport, Harlech and Aberystwyth – while Belfast and Bushmills, home of the Giant’s Causeway, represented Northern Ireland.

The Pegasus Marine survey follows a report by The Telegraph, which found that more Brits are enjoying staycations than ever before.

According to data from Visit England, the number of overseas holidays booked by Brits is 16% lower than it was prior to the recession – while staycations increased by 12% between 2008 and 2013.

Jonathan Le Roux, co-founder and director of Pegasus Marine Finance, said: “Staycations are clearly a very popular way to holiday currently, and why not?

“Britain is beautiful and in my opinion is hard to beat when the rain’s not falling.

“Whether you’re visiting towns and villages of historical value or enjoying our varied coastline, the UK offers amazing diversity”

Is your hometown featured? Here’s the UK’s top 50:

1. Edinburgh

2. London

3. Bournemouth

4. Manchester

5. Whitby

6. Hastings

7. Blackpool

8. Inverness

9. Stratford-upon-Avon

10. York

11. Skegness

12. Great Yarmouth

13. Portsmouth

14. Nottingham

15. Brighton

16. Liverpool

17. Newcastle

18. Kendal

19. Scarborough

20. Cambridge

21. Glasgow

22. Watford

23. Keswick

24. Leeds

25. Chester

26. Isle of Man

27. Oxford

28. Alton

29. Aberfoyle

30. Durham

31. Cardiff

32. Morecambe

33. Barnard Castle

34. South Shields

35. Christchurch

36. Abergavenny

37. Salford

38. Ely

39. Belfast

40. Stroud

41. Harlech

42. Alnwick

43. Berwick

44. Newport

45. Amesbury

46. Penrith

47. Aberystwyth

48. Whitehaven

49. Bushmills

50. Inveraray