Scotland tops poll of best cinematic destinations

SCOTLAND came out on top in a poll of USA Today and 10Best readers of film-themed travel destinations, beating the likes of New Zealand and Las Vegas

Daniel Craig and Judy Dench filming scenes for Skyfall in the Scottish Highlands. Picture: SWNS

A poll by USA Today’s travel site 10Best has put Scotland as the best cinematic travel destination in the world.

Scotland was chosen alongside 20 other worldwide destinations by TV and film tourism experts in a longlist which also included London, Las Vegas and Austria. The final rankings were then left to the USA Today readers, who could vote for their favourite.

Scotland came out as top of the charts, with 10Best praising the country’s cinematic lineage:

“A visit to the William Wallace Monument to see his actual sword is just the start. Scotland’s Eilean Donan castle featured in Highlander as the abode of Clan McCloud and as the headquarters of MI6 in The World is Not Enough. Rosslyn Chapel in Edinburgh played a prominent role in The Da Vinci Code, while scenes of the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter series was filmed crossing the 21-arched Glenfinnan viaduct along the West Highland Line -- a train ride visitors can experience for themselves.”

Other tourist destinations pipped to the post including New Zealand at number 3, famed for its rolling countryside, which became the backdrop for the Lord of The Rings and Hobbit films.

Petra in Jordan came in second, with the UNESCO World heritage site seeing a huge boost in tourism from Stephen Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail as well as Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

The country’s more recent film appearances include stunning shots of Glen Itive in the latest Bond film Skyfall, as well the streets of Edinburgh in the gritty adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novel Filth and the The Proclaimers musical Sunshine On Leith.