We can't be complacent about tourism success

WAS it The Homecoming? Was it recession-driven "staycations"? Or was it the cheap pound? It certainly wasn't the weather. Whatever the final analysis of the reasons, Scotland's tourism industry did well to buck a UK-wide slump and a poor summer last year with a notable rise in overseas visitors.

Official figures show a 26 per cent increase in the numbers of foreign tourists in the final quarter compared with a year previously. And there was an increase in visitors through the whole of 2009 compared with a 6.8 per cent drop across the UK.

There is little doubt that more Scots decided to holiday at home last year. And there was also a notable increase in visitors from other parts of the UK. But the increase in overseas visitor numbers is particularly welcome for the higher spending it brings.

The Homecoming will have contributed to the marketing effort, though any ambitions to repeat the exercise must await the Audit Scotland investigation into its finances. The factor that will have had a big influence in attracting overseas tourists was the lower sterling exchange rate, an advantage that has continued into this year and indeed could prove even more of a boost should the pound weaken further post-election. However, helpful though this is, it is imperative for the industry to redouble its efforts to market Scotland to best effect and to work to improve our standards of catering and hospitality.