Respondents' scores are added up and compared to those given to other countries to give the rankings.

The biggest improvement was seen in the "welcome" and "natural beauty" categories, an area where Britain has been traditionally lowly ranked, with particularly high praise coming from two other countries regarded as welcoming, Australia and Canada. 

Britain's have risen to fifth place in the "sport" ranking - based on the extent to which respondents agree that Britain "excels at sport" - after finishing in third place on both the Olympic and Paralympic medals table.

It is thought that the widely praised London 2012 is a major reason for the improvement which the study highlights. 

With the UK hosting the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in Yorkshire, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in 2014, it is also hoped that this momentum will continue.

Visitors from all over the world descended on London for the 2012 Games and will continue to do so for more high-profile sporting events in 2014, it is hoped ©Getty Images




The success comes on the back of a "GREAT Britain" promotional campaign launched after the Games last August, which aimed to boost Britain's international profile. 

This was something highlighted by Sandie Dawe, chief executive of national tourism agency VisitBritain, who insisted the results prove that "Britain has retained, and built on, the global image boost of hosting the Olympics."

"Our GREAT campaign has promoted culture, heritage and countryside - so to see historically weaker areas such as 'welcome' and 'natural beauty' markedly improve is a considerable achievement," she added. 

"This wave of interviewing, one year on from the Olympics, gives us a reliable, long-term view and tells us that positive post-Games perceptions were certainly not short-lived.

"Our reputation across the world has firmly changed for the better and we will continue to build on this to promote Britain for tourism around the world.

"The figures speak for themselves, with record numbers of holidaymakers choosing to come here."

Minister for Tourism Helen Grant also added her delight at the survey results

"Great Britain has a huge amount to offer tourists - spectacular scenery, world class museums, fantastic sport, incredible theatre and welcoming people," she said.

"It is encouraging that over a year on from London 2012 we have enhanced our reputation even further.

"Tourism is a crucial part of our economic growth strategy and it's important that we continue to champion the best of Britain to the world."