Why we’re hot for holidays

WE may not be top of everyone’s list if you are searching for scorching sunshine, but Scotland is hard to beat if you want to see stunning scenery and historic cities.

And whether it’s touring the Highlands or playing on the world’s best golf courses, holidaymakers are flocking here in droves.

Last year nearly half of the most popular UK travel destinations were in Scotland, according to figures from holiday rental firm Home Away.

Nine of the UK’s top 20 tourism hotspots Scotland boasted, with Ayrshire and Arran coming second only to London.

Edinburgh was the third most popular destination, St Andrews came seventh, and the Highlands and Islands were the eighth most visited place.

The research comes after Scotland was named the second best country to visit in 2017 by travel publication Rough Guides.

It highlighted the wildlife, whisky and ‘wonderfully warm welcome’ visitors receive as reasons to visit, while recommending the North Coast 500 road trip.

Meanwhile, Malaga was the favourite holiday destination for Britons last year, closely followed by Barcelona and Majorca.

Seven of the top 20 destinations for UK travellers were in Spain.