Tourist trade 'rose to challenge'

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Scotland's tourism industry has been praised for "rising to the challenges" of the global financial crisis.

Tourism Minister Jim Mather said the country had proved itself to be one of the world's "must-visit destinations".

He pointed to the "outstanding success" of the Homecoming events, and said the recent snow had been the "icing on the cake" for festive visitors.

But the Homecoming drive was criticised after its flagship event lost money and a finale concert had to be scaled back.

Organisers have said Homecoming was on track to exceed the target of increasing tourism revenue by £44m.

But the event came under fire after the flagship Clan Gathering in Edinburgh lost money and had to be bailed out by the city council and the Scottish government, while a finale concert at the SECC in Glasgow had to be scaled down after disappointing ticket sales.

'Exciting year'

Mr Mather said the Year of Homecoming "resulted in unprecedented global awareness of the rewards that accrue from visiting Scotland and meeting our people".

He said many people were choosing to spend time in "beautiful, evocative Scotland, rather than travelling abroad" because of the recession.

"This Hogmanay marks the end of a year during which Scotland built on its traditional strengths and the outstanding success of the Homecoming celebrations to prove that it continues to be one of the must-visit countries of the world," he added.

"The economic climate has made it a challenging, yet exciting year for Scottish tourism. The global recession has had a major impact on international travel and Scotland has not been immune to this downturn.

"However with Homecoming Scotland and a tourist trade that has risen to that challenge, we have had a competitive edge that has been the envy of countries across the globe."

Mr Mather said it was vital in 2010 that the country looked at new and innovative ways of attracting new visitors, and to ensure it continued to attract exciting projects that could be capitalised upon to help generate additional revenue across Scotland.