������̳

Tourism bosses have described record international visitor numbers for Scotland in 2023 as a "turning point" for the industry.

Almost four million people from overseas visited the country last year, an increase of 15% on 2019, the last year before the Covid pandemic.

Unprecedented numbers from North America helped break the previous record of 3.7m, which was set in 2018.

Visitors to Scotland in 2023 spent £3.6bn - up 41% on 2019 and 13% on 2022 - although those increases do not account for inflation.

Scotland is the only part of the UK that has seen an increase in comparison to 2019, although the by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) found that the majority of nations and regions saw growth compared to 2022.

VisitScotland's chief executive Malcolm Roughead said international tourism was "hugely important" to the Scottish economy.

He added: "These figures mark a turning point for tourism in Scotland, showing not only recovery but crucially growth in international visitors with number of visits and spend now above 2019 levels.

Vicki Miller of VisitScotland told ������̳ Scotland News that the figures were a "significant milestone" for the tourism sector.

She estimated that just under 20% of visitors to Scotland now come from international markets.

She added: "That 19% from international markets is really important in terms of spend, because they stay longer and typically spend more. It accounts for 46% of the value of tourism to Scotland."

VisitScotland's own research suggested that visitors are increasingly looking for unique experiences, such as designing tartan or bagpipe lessons, which Ms Miller said reflected a desire for "once in a lifetime" holidays

Wellness activities, like wild swimming and food and drink trips, are also popular.

The figures revealed that visitors from North America were up by 16% and from Europe by 19%.

Tourists from "other countries", a category including Australia and China, saw the greatest spike to 2022, soaring by 53%.