1. Tower of London with tour boat sailing past on river in foreground

2. Tower of London walls and buildings

3. Tourists clambering down stairs on Tower of London rampart

4. Reverse shot of group of American tourists, all dressed identically in red outfits and hats with American flags, looking at Tower of London

5. Front view of Americans standing in line

6. Tourists displaying hands all with identical rings, copies of Kate Middleton's engagement ring

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Marcia Anderson, 49-year-old pharmaceutical sales representative from Oklahoma City, United States:

"London's just a great city. Great history - obviously the Tower and everything here. But then to have the royals and to be able to come and see all the royal things...."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Mary Boepple, 49-year-old retiree from Cyprus, Texas, United States - and twin sister of Marcia Anderson:

"The thousands of years of history is what's exciting and walking in their (the royal family's) footsteps and enjoy the places that we know that they've been."

8. Tourists walking along Tower of London concourse

9. Tourist taking photograph

10. Tourists walking along walls of Tower of London

11. SOUNDBITE: (English) John Keohane, Chief Yeoman Warder of the Tower of London:

"There's so much tradition and this is what I think - especially our visitors from the United States or (elsewhere) abroad - come here to see. They want to come and see all what the British monarchy is all about and why it's so important to all of us that live here in this great country."

12. Group of German tourists looking at guide book

13. Tourists' hands and guide book

14. SOUNDBITE: (German) Jonathan Soenenan, 30 year-old tourist from Berlin, Germany:

"We hadn't planned to come here for the royal wedding and it's a coincidence that it's happening while we're here. There's lots going on that we didn't expect, but I might go down on the day and wave at the royal couple!"

15. Tourists walking along concourse

16. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Massimo Caneva, tourist from Treviso, Italy:

"It's fun for the children, especially to see the crown jewels, as well as other things connected to queens and kings, and so they're having a great time."

17. Caneva and family walking away from camera

18. Long shot of Tower of London concourse with tourists walking

19. Tourist taking photograph next to river with Tower of London in background - pans right to show group posing for photograph in front of Tower Bridge

20. Tourists with camera looking at river

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jacqueline French, spokesperson for London and Partners, the official promotional agency for London:

"What we are hoping is that the royal wedding will really put a spotlight on London. There's an approximate four (b) billion people will be watching the wedding overseas. We've got the queen's jubilee next year, as well as the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. And all of this will create a sense of fun and great atmosphere in London that hopefully people will want to be a part of."

22. Group of tourists by river with map and camera

23. Wide shot of Tower Bridge and River Thames with tourists walking

The British capital is witnessing a boom in tourism ahead of Friday's royal wedding.

Some London landmarks are reporting swelling numbers of international visitors, many of whom say they're here primarily because of Prince William and Kate Middleton's 29 April nuptials.

Tourists were flocking to the Tower of London on Tuesday.

The iconic landmark by the River Thames, with its 900 years of royal history, is a regular stop on the tourist trail.

But numbers are definitely up, according to officials.

For the week beginning 18 April, it recorded its highest weekly number of visitors in 12 years - some 91,000.

And visitors have topped 13,000 on a single day on four separate occasions over the past week - a feat normally only achieved twice in a whole year.

One group of five American women confirmed it was the royal wedding which had drawn them over to the UK.

Excitedly visiting as many landmarks with royal connections as they could during their stay, the women had certainly dressed for the part.

They wore matching red hats, complete with American flags, and identical red outfits.

Each also sported on their finger a copy of Kate Middleton's engagement ring, which originally belonged to William's mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

Twin sisters Marcia Anderson, from Oklahoma City, and Mary Boepple (pronounced "bep-lay"), from Cyprus, Texas, were enjoying their fourth visit to London.

But it was the wedding which brought them back again this time, they said.

"London's just a great city. Great history - obviously the Tower and everything here. But then to have the royals and to be able to come and see royal things...." Anderson enthused.

John Keohane is Chief Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London.

He heads a team responsible for the security of the Crown Jewels, which the Tower has housed since 1303.

They also act as Tower tour guides - and have been run off their feet with the extra visitors numbers in recent days, according to Keohane.

Keohane said he felt sure the royal wedding was responsible for the increased numbers.

"There's so much tradition and this is what I think - especially our visitors from the United States or (elsewhere) abroad - come here to see. They want to come and see all what the British monarchy is all about and why it's so important to all of us that live here in this great country," he said.

Tower authorities were pleased with the increased visitor numbers, which they said would help them maintain the landmark, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Not all visitors admitted to being here solely for the wedding, however.

"We hadn't planned to come here for the royal wedding and it's a coincidence that it's happening while we're here," said German tourist Jonathan Soenenan, who was visiting the UK from Berlin with his sister.

However, he added: "I might go down on the day and wave at the royal couple!"

Italian tourist Massimo Caneva, from Treviso in northern Italy, said the fascination with all things royal was a stimulus for his two young children.

"It's fun for the children, especially to see the crown jewels, as well as other things connected to queens and kings, and so they're having a great time," he said.

Jacqueline French, a spokesperson for London and Partners, the official promotional agency for the British capital, said the royal wedding had undoubtedly been a major draw.

She said her agency was expecting around 600,000 visitors to come to London specifically for the royal wedding, a figure based on the numbers who had travelled 30 years ago to witness the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

The wedding would act as a beacon for tourists for the year ahead, she added.

"What we are hoping is that the royal wedding will help put a spotlight on London. There's an approximate four (b) billion people will be watching the wedding overseas. We've got the queen's jubilee next year, as well as the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. And all of this will create a sense of fun and great atmosphere in London that hopefully people will want to be a part of," French explained.

Looking ahead to Friday's wedding, French said that visitors would want to be able to tell friends and family that they here in London on the big day, as it was an historical event.