TOURISM leaders in Scotland are being offered training in management techniques credited with helping an Australian city grow visitor numbers by more than 10%.

Edinburgh's Napier University and partner organisations will deliver a Destination Leadership Programme based on a model developed in Melbourne in 2010. Themes covered in the six-month programme will include marketing and branding, the digital economy and leadership skills.

The programme will initially run as a two-year pilot scheme for people working in tourism and based in Edinburgh or St Andrews. Scottish Enterprise hopes the project will be rolled out nationally following the pilot.