Alistair Darling views the evolution of tourism

Chancellor Alistair Darling today visited the new £78million Darwin Wing of the Natural History Museum to promote the benefits of visiting the capital and the importance of tourism.

Mr Darling, who is standing in for Prime Minister Gordon Brown while he is on holiday, said: "Tourism is of huge importance to the London economy. If you look at the top 10 destinations in London most of them are museums.

"About 25 million people a year come to Britain and especially at a time like this, when we want to promote as many jobs as possible, it's important to remember this is the fifth-biggest industry we've got. It's a massive asset."

The new section of the museum in South Kensington opens on 15 September and will be a major research centre. Mr Darling added: "We produce some of the best scientists in the world but we don't produce enough of them. We are keen on encouraging some of the 11, 12 or 13-year-olds who are interested in science to come and see what incredible research is going on here. If we can get the new Darwins in here we could make some great breakthroughs."