Highlands join top 20 global destinations

IT IS the home of the Loch Ness monster and boasts Scotland's largest national park, but remains a largely hidden gem - attracting fewer than 500,000 foreign visitors a year.

• There are hopes that National Geographic's recommendations will substantially boost the number of overseas visitors to the Highlands. Picture: Ian Rutherford

But now the Scottish Highlands has been named as one of the world's top 20 destinations by an influential travel magazine - highlighted alongside exotic hotspots such as Laos in south-east Asia, Papua New Guinea and the Gasp Peninsula in Quebec, Canada.

National Geographic Traveller - the travel arm of international publication National Geographic listed the region as one of its 20 Best Trips of 2011. The accolade was handed out after senior editor Norie Quintos visited Aviemore in October, where she addressed the Adventure Travel World Summit.

Ms Quintos was so impressed with the Highlands that she selected it as one of her choices for the prestigious list, which is published by the magazine annually.

"I was enveloped by the rough-and-tumble Highland history of clans and kings - made all the more atmospheric by the stunning quality of light on the moors, especially after rain," said Ms Quintos, editor of the magazine's Smart Traveller section.

Tourism chiefs hope the accolade could boost visitor numbers to the Highlands from the US, where the magazine is published. Currently, just 15 per cent of overseas tourists visiting the Highlands come from North America - just 690,000 a year.

Alan Rankin, chief executive of Visit Cairngorms, Scotland's newest national park, said: "In this area, we have not traditionally attracted the North American market - a lot of our overseas visitors come from Germany, the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe.

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"But, certainly, with exposure of this nature in that market, the number of visitors from the US can only increase."

Among the activities highlighted by National Geographic are hiking in Leanachan Forest, kayaking on Loch Insh and skiing at Nevis Range. The magazine also encourages readers to experience a Highland Games. "Anyone who has ever visited the Highlands won't be surprised to learn that it has captured the imagination of National Geographic and we hope that those readers who have not already experienced Scotland will be encouraged to put this country at the top of their list of places they have to visit," said Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of tourism body VisitScotland.

Sally Dowden, owner of Aviemore-based Speyside Wildlife, which hosted Ms Quintos, said: "It is great to see that National Geographic has given this endorsement to the Highlands. Not only is the scenery fantastic, but this part of the world is at the top of a lot of people's must-see destinations in terms of watching wildlife."WHAT THE MAGAZINE SAID:

Fierce Bronze Age warriors, Vikings and Gaelic-speaking clans all have called the rugged Highlands home. Today, the primeval landscape north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault attracts outdoor enthusiasts drawn to the mist-shrouded mountains, shimmering lochs, sheer cliffs and sandy beaches.

Cairngorms National Park - the United Kingdom's largest thanks to the incorporation of Highland Perthshire - offers recreation at every speed, from hiking in Leanachan forest to kayaking in Loch Insh and the Insh Marshes Nature Reserve. At Nevis Range - site of the 2011 Mountain Bike World Cup - experienced bikers can take the UK's only mountain gondola, which rises 2,132ft up the slopes of Aonach Mor, to ride the 3.4-mile single-track Nevis Red Route down. To experience more traditional sports like caber toss, tug-of-war and piping competitions, cheer on the tartan-clad participants during Highland Games from May to mid-September.