The arrival of a new royal baby is expected to boost visitor numbers to London, according to tourist chiefs.

VisitLondon.com is predicting that the British capital will welcome nearly 32million UK and overseas tourists this year – well up on the 29.1 million total achieved in 2013 – the year Prince George was born.

The year of 2013 was a record-breaking one for London, with almost 17 million overseas visits made to the capital.

Gordon Innes, chief executive of London & Partners, the Mayor of London’s official promotional company which runs VisitLondon.com, said: “While it’s impossible to quantify the effect the birth of a new royal baby will have on the number of tourists visiting London, it’s clear that London’s tourism is going from strength the strength, and its royal connections and attractions are key drivers that attract people from the UK and abroad to the capital.”

The royal princess, who is fourth in line to the throne and second child of Kate Middleton and Prince William, was delivered at 08:34 BST on Saturday, May 2^nd, at St Mary’s Hospital in London, and weighed 8lbs 3oz (3.7kg).