Last week the Scottish Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Business Survey highlighted the positive results which tourism businesses in Scotland have been experiencing during what has, by any measurement, been an exceptional year for Scotland's tourist and visitor economy.
Of course, we have had a fantastic Commonwealth Games and a Ryder Cup that showed the world the best Scotland has to offer in terms of both sport and scenery, not to mention the weather! The year is not finished yet and with the MTV Europe Music Awards and BBC Sports Personality of the Year still to come, 2014 will go down as a landmark year.
The challenge now is to build on this success and maximise the legacy of 2014 and both Visit Scotland and Event Scotland have vital roles to play here. Key cultural and sporting events over the coming years will continue to draw tourists to Scotland and the 'shop window' provided by globally viewed events like the Ryder Cup and Commonwealth Games will have directed the attention of millions of potential visitors to our country and all it offers.
We must take full advantage of this opportunity. In addition to leisure tourism, Scotland is rapidly establishing a strong reputation in the business tourism market and our cities are rapidly developing the infrastructure to support further growth in this area.
Government too must play its part and that is one of the reasons why we believe that the UK Government must look to reduce the rate of VAT on a range of tourism related activities to help level the playing field with competitor nations in Europe, which are already supporting their industries in this way. Tourism is a global market and Scotland must look towards every possible route to making our offering more attractive.
We also need to consider how we make Scotland more accessible to overseas visitors and how we grow Scotland's international connectivity.
Recent growth in this area could be boosted by the reduction or elimination of the tax on flying - Air Passenger Duty - and, of course, it is likely that this tax will be amongst those being considered by Lord Smith of Kelvin as he considers the nature of further devolved powers for Scotland.
Scotland's economy is growing and our iconic tourism industry is at the very heart of our future potential.
Liz Cameron is Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce
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