Scotland outperformed the rest of the UK in attracting overseas visitors last summer, achieving a 25% increase in visits from North America, despite the recession.
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics suggest that Homecoming Scotland, a strategy which encouraged ex-pats and descendents to visit, helped to avert a crisis for the tourism industry.
The number of overnight stays by tourists fell by 2% in the third quarter of 2009 from the year before (from 955,000 to 953,000), as a result of fewer European visitors. However the decline was offset by increased visits to Scotland by holidaymakers from North America and other countries.
The UK as a whole had a six per cent rise in visitors from North America and a one per cent rise from other non-European countries.