Alan Armstrong

Alan Armstrong, who has died in Edinburgh aged 81, was a leading figure in the Scottish tourist industry and a co-founder of the British Hospitality Association, which represents hundreds of thousands of hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions across the country. He was also a supporter of Scottish independence and was convenor of the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly and a member, from 1989, of the Scottish Constitutional Convention.

One of his first prominent roles in tourism was as one of the first publicity managers of the then Scottish Tourist Board. His imaginative schemes to promote Scottish tourism were always creative, inventive and far-reaching. He brought to all his campaigns a real zeal that displayed a pride in, and deep knowledge of Scotland and what it had to offer the visitor. Mr Armstrong cunningly blended the history, the glories of the Highlands with relaxing or sport orientated projects.

Alan Douglas Armstrong was born in Coatbridge but the family moved to near Falkirk where he attended Falkirk Academy. He did his national service in the RAF as a radar fitter and then served in that capacity with BOAC. For a few years he travelled widely in Africa picking up jobs and in 1966 he joined the sales team of Alitalia, the national airline of Italy.

Three years later he returned to Scotland to become the tourist manager for the Dunoon area. He left that role in 1972 to join the Scottish Tourist Board and was appointed its director of marketing in 1975. In this important job, he pioneered many inspiring publicity campaigns to attract tourists to Scotland - one particularly successful was titled, Scotland, A World of Differences.

In 1979, he led a major push to increase Scottish tourism from America with the establishment of Scottish travel workshops in Boston and New York aimed at selling Scotland to the States. The workshops meant leading tour operators and agents from US cities could meet Scottish travel agents.

The aim, Mr Armstrong told The Herald, was to promote Scotland as a first stage destination as distinct from a side-trip on a visit to London. He also hoped to persuade the North American travel trade to make greater use of Prestwick airport as a gateway to Scotland.

Mr Armstrong was also much involved in the planning of the Gathering of the Clans not only in Holyrood Park but at many other locations around Scotland. He was much involved in the organisation and the hospitality and was a considerable and enthusiastic presence throughout.

William Macleod worked with Mr Armstrong at the Scottish Tourist Board and co-founded the British Hospitality Association (BHA). He preserved warm and happy memories of his friend.

"Alan had a great personality and a fine sense of humour - both ideal for promoting tourism," said Mr Macleod. "He was a genuine and exceptionally professional man, was a real people person and always had time for everyone. I held him in great affection and esteem."

Judith Sleigh was a member of his team at the Scottish Tourist Board and recalls, "Alan was courteous to all and hard-working. He instilled in us all a deep sense of pride in our history and our heritage - which, of course, enabled us to 'sell' Scotland with great enthusiasm to potential visitors."

In 1981 Mr Armstrong left the Tourist Board to found, with colleagues, the British Hospitality Association which was a vehicle to support tourism and encourage it to grow internationally.

He was an early member of Scottish National Party and a firm believer in an independent Scotland. He was convenor of the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly and a member, from 1989, of the Scottish Constitutional Convention, an association of Scottish political parties, churches and other civic groups that sought to develop a framework for a Scottish devolution.

In 1993 Mr Armstrong set himself a very different challenge and enrolled at Heriot Watt University and read economics - gaining a first class degree. He and his wife Cindy moved back to Dunoon for a few years and during this time Mr Armstrong wrote To Restrain the Red Horse (published in 1996) which was an articulate plea for radical economic reform.

Throughout his distinguished career, Mr Armstrong had a keen ability to promote Scotland abroad with flair and a professional panache. He was always able to find an angle in a project suitable for the country he was visiting.

He is survived by his wife Cindy, whom he married in 1966, and their two sons.

ALASDAIR STEVEN