Celebrities were today to urged help promote Scotland for free amid claims that many demand "impossible" fees.

Celebrities were today to urged help promote Scotland for free amid claims that many demand "impossible" fees.

Business and tourism chiefs called for well-known Scots personalities to get on board for the "greater good" and back attempts to attract the Scots Diaspora back home next year.

Stars like Sir Sean Connery and singer KT Tunstall have previously backed efforts to promote Scotland - but MSPs heard today that money has stopped others getting involved.

A year-long calendar of events has been pencilled in to mark Scotland's first homecoming year in 2009.

Homecoming Scotland is a year-long event celebrating Scottish innovations, culture and heritage, starting on Burns Night next year.

Labour's Irene Oldfather called for younger Scots stars like rockers Franz Ferdinand to be brought on board at a meeting of Holyrood's European and External relations committee today.

Lorna Jack of Scottish Development International (SDI) said the organisation had used singer Sandi Thom, while former Scotland and Liverpool footballer Steve Nicol, now a coach in the US, had helped their promotional efforts at Scotland Week in the US this year.

But the organisation had an "unfortunate experience" with one personality who asked for more than SDI's "entire budget" for Scotland Week to get involved in a recent event in Toronto.

"One of the things we've been talking about is whether or not we can have a Global Scots Equivalent of celebrities who are prepared to work either for free or at a discounted rate," she said.

"We are public sector and therefore we need to be conscious of the kind of money that we're spending.

"You would like to think that some of them might be prepared to step forward and do it for the greater good."

Ewan Colville of VisitScotland also raised concerns about the money that stars demand.

"This comes up frequently in approaches to VisitScotland, usually from agents of celebrities and the fees that the are looking for," he said.

"Initially it's always 'oh, we'll do it for the jersey,' so to speak, and then, of course, a fee gets in the way which is impossible for us to work around."

Mr Colville suggested that Homecoming Scotland 2009 provides the opportunity to "galvanise" celebrity support.

"There is actually a programme to recruit ambassadors for Homecoming Scotland who are willing to lend their name and endorsement to the Homecoming Scotland project.

"That's not on a fee basis, that's simply for the greater good of Scotland and hopefully we will see some outcomes from that."

Ms Oldfather had suggested that more "contemporary" celebrities like singer Eddi Reader and ex-cycling star Graeme Obree get involved, as well as Franz Ferdinand.

"I know we've used Sir Sean (Connery) quite a lot," she said.

"But maybe there's an attempt to use younger Scottish VIPs also."

"Franz Ferdinand very nearly happened," said Denise Hill, head of international marketing at VisitScotland.

She added that KT Tunstall had previously helped out at Scotland Week events, with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers pipes band involved this year.