'STAYCATIONS' have boosted Scotland's tourist trade tills by an hundreds of millions of pounds as both Edinburgh and Glasgow are named two of the most popular destinations outside of London.

Official figures show a 14 per cent increase in domestic tourism expenditure in Scotland in 2015.

Industry leaders claim staycations, with holidaymakers from the UK travelling to or staying in Scotland, were proving popular due to improvements in the quality of accommodation, while the hassles of travelling abroad with children are avoided for families.

However, with 2014 featuring the Commonwealth Games, the Year of Homecoming and the Ryder Cup, there was a drop in overseas visitors.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), domestic tourists spent £400 million more in visits to Scotland in 2015 compared with the previous year.

VisitScotland, the national tourism agency, said a 4 per cent overall drop in visits was due to the success of the previous year.

However, discounting 2014, the performance of the tourism industry in last year overall exceeded that each year from 2011, both in number of trips and expenditure.

And although overseas visitors dipped, visitor "spend" was at its highest level for more than a decade.

The tourism agency said that the "unprecedented year had a big impact on our overseas market, with a distinct spike in international visitor numbers.

It said: "Nations can often experience a downturn following the kind of year Scotland enjoyed however the results prove Scottish tourism has capitalised on the success of 2014 with continued growth overall."

The figures also show that Edinburgh and Glasgow rank in the top five for visits outside London.

Fiona Campbell, chief executive of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, predicted similar or improved figures for the season ahead.

She said: "You are now seeing a better quality experience for holidaying in Scotland.

"We are meeting or exceeding holiday makers expectations of quality and in particular self catering provides such good value.

"The family market is huge, and also, we are finding, the pet market. People just do not want to leave their pets so a staycation is a good answer to that.

"Marketing has helped. People across the UK know that within a four hour drive they can be on a spectacular Scottish beach."

The majority of overseas visitors and expenditure came from Europe.

Fiona Hyslop, the culture and tourism secretary, said: "It is encouraging that spending from domestic visitors has increased despite the industry operating in a challenging environment.

“Our tourism industry has worked hard to make Scotland a destination offering quality experiences for visitors building on 2014, a pivotal year for tourism.

“A second programme of themed years is underway, which this year will focus on Innovation, Architecture and Design followed by History, Heritage and Archaeology in 2017 and Young People in 2018."

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said: "We have recorded our highest combined visitor spend since 2005, showing that interest in the country continues to fuel increased economic growth and jobs for Scotland.

"A 5 per cent increase in overall tourism expenditure in 2015, including a 14% jump in domestic spend, is a stunning success for Scottish tourism."

He added: "Despite a slight dip in international visitors in 2015 our spend figures remain strong and Scottish tourism continues to create jobs and sustain communities in every corner of Scotland, putting it at the heart of the Scottish economy.

"Nations can often experience a downturn following the kind of year Scotland enjoyed however these results prove Scottish tourism has capitalised on the success of 2014."