VISITOR numbers at Scotland's main tourist attractions increased by 1.7 million last year, a new study has found
According to research carried out by Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), entries to the nation's most prominent tourist sites rose to more than 55 million in 2014, up three per cent from the year before.
The biggest swell in numbers were for those attractions with free admission, welcoming more than twice as many visitors than those with entry fees.
As expected, the National Museum for Scotland in Edinburgh was the busiest site in 2014 with more than 1.6million visits, while nearby Edinburgh Castle proved to be the highest paid attraction with 1.4m visits.
Analysts from the GCU's Moffat Centre - the group which conducted the research -- say the calendar of major events held in Scotland last year was one of the reasons for the tourism spike.
Professor John Lennon, founding director of the Moffat Centre, said: "With all the events we had last year - the Ryder Cup, Commonwealth Games, the Homecoming and the referendum - Scotland was on the tip of a lot of tongues internationally.
"Many operators also saw positive impacts from the anniversaries associated with the First World War, which served to heighten Scotland's profile and destination awareness, nationally and internationally.
"Someone asked me if, as a result, will we see a comparatively poor tourist year this year, but actually that won't be the case.
"With that prominence, it should maintain a little longer than that and Scotland should be basking in additional numbers for a few more years."
The survey of 687 tourist sites also highlighted the success of Glasgow's Riverside Museum, which recorded a near 42 per cent rise in visitor numbers, from around 740,000 to 1.05m over the past year.
Lomond Shores remains one of the most visited free tourist sites in Scotland with 1.172m visits in 2014, ahead of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh.
It was also a good year for Stirling Castle with a seven per cent increase in visits from 412,000 to 441,000.
Meanwhile, The Falkirk Wheel enjoyed its busiest year yet thanks to the draw of the nearby Kelpies at the Helix park.
An estimated 800,000 people came out to see the massive horse sculptures, and contributed to a visit numbers at the wheel increasing by a quarter at the same time to more than 514,000.
Alasdair Smart, Lowland Canals Waterway Manager, said: "2014 saw more than half a million people pay a visit to the world's only rotating boat lift and we've now had more visitors than the entire population of Scotland.
"Even more than a decade since its opening, the chance to see this iconic feat of engineering in action is still drawing huge numbers of visitors, boosting the economy of the area, and helping put Falkirk on tourists' 'to-see' lists the world over.
"The Falkirk Wheel is the jewel in the crown of Scotland's canal network and now, with The Helix and The Kelpies nearby, the area has even more to offer. With the chance to take a turn on the incredible Wheel or stand in the shadows of the largest horse sculptures on the planet, Falkirk and Grangemouth is fast becoming a vibrant hub of sustainable tourism with the Forth & Clyde Canal at its heart."
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