Tourism group wants more flights to Scotland

Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow Airport and other Scottish hubs could be handling more flights in the future after VisitScotland called on the government to enable more direct services to and from Scotland.

Speaking to members of the Scottish parliament, VisitScotland chief executive Philip Riddle called for the reinstatement of the Route Development Fund, which was operated by the previous executive but discontinued, the Press and Journal reports.

The fund was originally set up to encourage growth in the number of flights in and out of Scotland.

It provided more than £14 million over three years and helped establish a connection between Glasgow and Dubai, as well as UK services including a flight from Inverness Airport to Nottingham/East Midlands Airport.

As well as asking for the renewal of the fund, Mr Riddle predicted that the coming summer could be a positive one for Scottish tourism as British people take domestic holidays to save money.

"As you look out to the world economic climate, obviously we are seeing a pressure, a nervousness about the economy generally," he said.

"And I think one of the things that will arise from that nervousness will be people considering staying closer to home for holidays."