The surge in new flights into Edinburgh Airport and targeted marketing of the city to non- European countries has been credited for causing the rise.

The survey by the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG) found only 48 per cent of visitors to the city are from the UK – with 26 per cent from Europe and a further 26 per cent from outside Europe.

It compares to 52 per cent of visitors being from the UK the last time the survey was carried out in 2001/02. Edinburgh Airport is also forecasting a big rise in the number of foreign passengers in the next 20 years as new routes to the city are opened up.

Sinead Guerin, VisitScotland's regional director, said: "From the sample of visitors we can clearly see that the number of European and other international visitors to Edinburgh has been increasing since 2001/02.

"Foot-and-mouth, the threat of terrorism and September 11 all had a major impact on tourism but what we can see from the survey is that there has been increasing recovery and international visitors are enjoying what Edinburgh has to offer.

"The city's transport, retail, bar and restaurant offerings continue to be as popular as ever with visitors and will contribute significantly to the Edinburgh economy. The results are very positive but clearly to maintain this level there is a need to continue to work in partnership to maintain and exceed visitor expectation."

Among the 738 interviews carried out for the report between January 2007 and January 2008, 28 per cent of visitors were from England, with 17 per cent from other parts of Scotland.

The third highest number of visitors was from the United States, while Germany was next with five per cent, followed by Australia and France.

Edinburgh Airport is forecasting that this year's new routes to locations including New York JFK, Dusseldorf, Bremen and Dubrovnik will help foreign-based passengers account for 28 per cent of all passengers at the airport by 2013 and 41 per cent by 2030, compared to 17 per cent in 2006.

A spokeswoman for Edinburgh Airport owner BAA said: "Over the past few years we have seen very strong growth in international traffic at Edinburgh Airport.

"Edinburgh's international connectivity has strengthened considerably, giving Scots travelling from the Capital more choice and making Scotland more accessible to overseas visitors.

"Since 2006, more than 50 new international services have started operation, bringing new direct air links with a host of European and US destinations including Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Munich, New York JFK and Toulouse."

Among the other findings of the survey were that 96 per cent found their experience of the city good.

City council leader Jenny Dawe said: "The results of this survey show that Edinburgh truly deserves the many accolades it receives.

"We can't, however, assume that this success will continue and must actively look to promote the city both within the UK and abroad, particularly in the current financial climate."