A warning by the New Zealand government about the outbreak of swine flu in Britain threatens to disrupt Scotland's Homecoming celebrations, organisers fear.
The scale of influenza A(H1N1) in Britain has prompted New Zealand's health ministry on its website to advise caution if travelling to Britain because there is "some risk" to health from swine flu.
The Australian government is also highlighting the presence of swine flu in Britain in its advice to travellers and it "strongly recommends" that citizens take out comprehensive travel insurance to cover any overseas medical costs, including medical evacuation, before they depart.
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Organisers of Scottish Homecoming have been targeting expatriate Scots and others of Scottish descent in New Zealand. They expected Kiwis to play a key role in the world's biggest clan gathering, the centrepiece of Homecoming, which aims to bring in at least 100,000 extra visitors this year and giving the Scottish economy a £44m boost.
There are now more than 1,000 confirmed cases of swine flu in Britain, with the rate of infection rising faster in Scotland than elsewhere.
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But ministers are urging people not to panic, claiming Britain is well prepared for dealing with the first global pandemic in more than 40 years.
The interventions by New Zealand and Australia come as Scotland's tourism industry faces one of its toughest challenges after a study revealed hotel occupancy rates have slumped further here than elsewhere in the UK.
The number of occupied rooms in Scottish hotels last year fell by 4%, with revenues also down further than the rest of Britain. Ministers are relying on revenue boosted by the Homecoming celebrations to help prop up the country's faltering economy.
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Murdo Fraser, the deputy Scottish Conservative leader, described the New Zealand government's comments as "very disappointing".
He added: "I hope this is something that the Scottish government will be proactive in pursuing, making the case strongly to New Zealand that the risk of swine flu infection in Scotland is not substantial. Clearly New Zealand is an important market in terms of Homecoming given the number of people with Scottish connections who live there. We don't want to see people cancelling their travel arrangements on the back of this."
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Jamie Hepburn, an SNP member of Holyrood's European and external relations committee, said: "This seems a strange reaction. Hopefully no other government will be doing the same. The Homecoming is not going to work if people don't come home. That's certainly not the message we want to hear."
A Scottish government spokesman said Scotland remained "open for business" and that there was no evidence that swine flu has made a big impact on visitor numbers.
Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish health secretary, said: "We are continuing to see a rise in cases of swine flu across the world and Scotland is not isolated from that. We are one of the best-prepared countries in the world and, as in every other country, the vast majority of people are experiencing relatively mild symptoms."
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Scottish ministers hope the first phase of swine flu will start to die out in Scotland within the next fortnight, prior to a second phase expected in the autumn by which time a vaccine may be available. In the worst-case scenario, events could be cancelled if there is a high number of cases in areas where major Homecoming events are planned.
"If we were planning big events in Paisley or Glasgow right now we might have to think again," said a government source.
Earlier this month Harry Burns, Scotland's chief medical officer, said anyone organising a large public event should seek official guidance.
A New Zealand government official said its advice was aimed at Britain as a whole rather than singling out Scotland. It has issued similar advice about Australia and Mexico.