Marketing 'fails to do Scotland justice'

The report highlights the cost of flying to Orkney

Scotland's tourist industry is being let down by poor marketing, according to a new report.

The Which? Guide to Scotland, which is published by the Consumer Association, says the country has a rich cultural diversity.

But it says that while interest in post-devolution Scotland is growing, the way it is promoted fails to do the nation justice.

The report comes the day after a £13.5m package of help for the industry was announced by the Scottish Executive.

It is a beautiful, largely unspoilt country, where hospitality is less moribund than in many other areas

Author Andrew Leslie

The emergency measures are designed to help companies survive the foot-and-mouth crisis, which has decimated the tourism industry.

The Which? guide says the success of so-called Tartan films, fresh literary talent and the Scottish Parliament have raised interest in the country.

Author Andrew Leslie said: "There is a definite buzz to Scottish culture at the moment - and much more to Scotland than you might think from the tourist literature.

"It is a beautiful, largely unspoilt country, where hospitality is less moribund than in many other areas."

But the report says visitors are let down by poor internal transport links and the high cost of travel to remote islands and towns.

Marketing is criticised in the report

It says that flying to the beaches of southern Europe may be considerably cheaper than catching a plane to the Orkney Islands, while the island of Colonsay is said to be inaccessible to day-trippers except on Wednesdays in the summer.

And in an age when many tourists plan their holidays using the internet, the guide describes many official Scottish websites as bland and uninspiring.

But it seeks to redress the balance by listing dozens of others which it says are quirky, helpful and informative.

Last year a review of the Scottish Tourist Board recommended a radical shake-up and a change of name to visitscotland.

The review was commissioned after the number of tourists from overseas fell by 11% the previous year - wiping more than £100m from the Scottish economy.

Critical report

The slump in overseas tourists came despite a growth in the world tourism industry of about 4% a year.

Chief executive Tom Buncle resigned days after the critical report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers was made public.

Lord Jimmy Gordon announced his decision not to seek a second term as chairman weeks later.

Former civil servant Peter McKinlay was brought in as interim chief executive until Mr Buncle's replacement is appointed.