Scotland's Auld Alliance with France still going strong as tourists flock to our castles, glens and film sets – Scotsman comment

Loch Ness, Ben Nevis and Eilean Donan Castle are among the top draws for French tourists

“Bonjour de tout coeur, bonjour!” If your French is a bit rusty, it might be time for a quick refresher course. For, according to new figures, French visitors last year contributed a whopping £190 million to the Scottish economy. The number of visits was up by about 20 per cent on the last year before the pandemic with the total of 267,000 making their country the second-biggest source of tourists after only the US.

And, thanks to the information revolution, we know quite a lot about the reasons why they want to come, with the most-searched Scottish attractions in France including Loch Ness, Glencoe, Ben Nevis, Edinburgh Castle, Eilean Donan Castle and the Isle of Skye. Castles and stunning scenery have long been associated with Scotland, but so-called “set-jetting” – where people visit iconic locations of films and TV shows like Outlander and the Harry Potter series – is also thought to have had an impact.

So, it seems, the Auld Alliance is still going strong. C’est magnifique, n’est pas? Et aussi, er, well... retour à l'école pour nous, peut-être.