Sven loves the glens

Scotland's lochs, mountains and glens are increasingly appealing to Swedes, according to new figures.

The number of Swedish tourists visiting Scotland has more than doubled in two years following the introduction of new direct air routes and a marketing push in Sweden.

The International Passenger Survey, compiled by the Office of National Statistics, revealed that 37,000 visitors came to Scotland from Sweden - up from 17,000 in 2002.

And Scottish businesses are reaping the rewards with spending by visitors from Sweden increasing to £17 million in 2003 compared to £6 million in 2002.

Scotland's Tourism Minister Patricia Ferguson said: "This encouraging increase in visitors from Sweden is only part of a success story that has seen increasing numbers of tourists visiting from Western Europe - up 25 per cent in the first half of this year."

Part of this success is down to two new direct flights from Sweden supported by the Scottish Executive's Air Route Development Fund and a series of 'Scotland in Sweden' promotional events in Stockholm.

Ms Ferguson added: "As one of the major contributors to the Scottish economy, we will be looking to tourism to help drive economic growth. These statistics show that with hard work the industry's ambition to grow tourism revenues by 50 per cent over the next decade is achievable."