LONDON, May 8 -- Britain welcomed nearly 33 million visitors in 2013, while the number of overseas visitors to London reached 16.8 million, marking a record high since 1961, authorities said Thursday.

According to statistics released by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday, Britain had 32.8 million visitors to the country last year, increasing 5.6 percent since 2012. Expenditure by overseas visitors increased by 12.7 percent to 21 billion pounds (36 billion U.S. dollars) over the same year.

Half of all visitors to the country went to London, pushing spending in the capital city up to 11 billion pounds.

"These record-breaking figures are a tribute to the outstanding mix of culture, art, music and sport to be found here and more is planned. With major international sporting events including the Rugby World Cup and the Tour de France and spectacular exhibitions at the Tate and the British Museum this year, it is clear that this wonderful city will not rest on its laurels," said Boris Johnson, the mayor of London.

The office said the proportion of all overseas visitors to Britain who visit London has been increasing steadily over the last ten years, from 47.3 percent in 2003 to 51.2 percent in 2013.

The top visitors to London in 2013 were reportedly from the United States, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The statistics office said over the last ten years, the number of overseas visitors to London for a holiday increased from 4.9 million in 2003 to 8.5 million in 2013, while business visits increased by 18.5 percent and visits to friends and family increased by 34.8 percent over the same period.

Visitors from China (excluding Hong Kong) to Britain reached 233,000, ranking 28th, while the number of visitors from Hong Kong was 163,000, ranking 36th.

The spending of visitors from China (excluding Hong Kong) ranked 17th while the amount spent by overseas visitors in London increased by 91.9 percent between 2003 and 2013.

Visitors from the United States were the highest spenders in London in both 2003 and 2013, although visitors from countries in Asia, Central and South America and the United Arab Emirates replaced the Netherlands, the Irish Republic and African countries as high spenders.