The £7m marketing tie-up marks the first time Disney has teamed up with a country’s tourism board, for launching one of its movies. Released in the UK in August, Brave is set in the Scottish highlands (for information on holidays in scotland highlands) and features characters voiced by Billy Connolly and Kelly Macdonald among others. It has been produced by Disney’s animation studio, Pixar, who also created Toy Story, Up and Finding Nemo.

Activity will include strategic TV tie-ups and cinema deals across the UK, North America and Europe, which will be bolstered by digital marketing and experiential activity.

What Scotland aims through this campaign is to attract more oversea’s visitors, which the country found a great decline in the year 2010. VisitScotland estimates the campaign will generate more than £150m in retrun-on-investment (ROI). The country sees this partnership campaign as a great opportunity since, the film will be shown in more than 70 countries across the world. Scotland also hopes to convert all those cinema goers into visitors through this campaign.

Now in its seventh year, the Film Festival (15 Feb – 26 Feb,2012) compiles a varied programme, pairing the latest efforts from Scots directors with classics from bygone eras. This year’s Film Festival includes a tribute to tap-dancing legend Gene Kelly, and a number of Scottish films, including an innovative screening of ‘Glasgow: Symphony of a City’, which incorporates a “live improvisation of sound and image”. The film festival will give the Glasgow Hotels a huge boost in their business as many participants and guests flock-in to the city.

Whilst there are films from all around the world, the main focus will be on to the Scottish-based films and productions. This time the festival features five full-length films, and two short films featuring soundtracks from Scottish musicians.

The report was released after a chart produced by PRS for Music – an association of composers, songwriters and music publishers – looked at 30 towns and cities, excluding London.  The city of Glasgow and Edinburgh are also the most sought after ones by visitors on Scottish Tours.

According to chart report, Glasgow was top with 119, followed by Edinburgh on 95, Birmingham on 89, Liverpool on 67 and Manchester on 63. Belfast was sixth on 60, followed by York on 59, Brighton on 54, Bristol on 49 and Newcastle on 31.

Glasgow could impress most of the songwriters enough to feed off their inspiration and this could be the reason why most number of songs is written on the city. And, for the selection committee, it’s great to see two Scottish cities, both Glasgow and Edinburgh, having such an effect on their members.

Others popular ones for the Highlands music event include electronic act Deadmau5 and dance music act Justice. RockNess will be held from 8 to 10 June 2012.

Sheeran is nominated for best male, breakthrough act, best single and best album at next month’s Brit Awards. Biffy Clyro were at RockNess in 2009 and the Scottish band will headline June’s festival at Dores, close to the shores of Loch Ness.

Band members Simon Neil, Ben Johnston and James Johnston were looking forward to perform again at the site near Inverness.

The festival’s organisers expect to make further announcements on other bands and singers to appear.

Two guest houses, from the Highlands and Ayshire, were included in the ranks of the TripAdvisor annual survey. According to the survey, these two Scottish guest houses are among the best across the globe. Guest Houses in Scotland have always found a place in the heart of visitors. And the trip advisor ranking will only add more advantage to the accommodation business in the country. 

The Old Manse, at Invermoriston, which came first last year, made it to the second spot on the survey which is compiled from tourist reviews.

The One Alloway Retreat from Alloway, Ayrshire was ranked eighth in the poll. These awards celebrate the best hotels in the UK and beyond according to those that really matter – the travellers themselves.

The UK dominated the international survey, taking eight of the top ten spots.

The paper listed Panama as its No1 destination, while London, Wales and Birmingham also featured. It paid tribute to Glasgow by praising the Transport Museum on the Clyde. Visitors on a tour to the city can opt to stay in the best Glasgow Hotels of choice.

The paper has mentioned that “Glasgow has spent more than a decade redeveloping 130 acres of derelict shipyard.” and, “There’s a pleasant riverside walkway with steel street furniture, cobblestones from Victorian Glasgow and maritime paraphernalia. The paper has found out that Glasgow’s Riverside Museum which has a new ferry stop, saw its one-millionth visitor that marks the first time in around 50 years.

The New York Times inclusion of Glasgow in the list of most desirable places to visit has sown in new hopes for the city.

When you think of Scottish Highlands, you ought to think of its scenery. Because that’s what first strikes you. Nobody could remain unmoved by the landscape – it’s that kind of a place. But another way of viewing the Highlands is as a backdrop to exactly the sort of holiday you want – from passive pampering to active exertion, or a bit of everything.

You can also see the Highlands as representing an opportunity to try something new. If you have the passion to learn to paddle a kayak or paint a wild flower in watercolour, then the Highlands can deliver this as well. Or you can match your interests to the local conditions like; angling on the remote hill-lochs of the north-west and biking off-road through the forests along the Great Glen.

But remember, that the Highlands are the place for total relaxation, with a superb choice of country house hotels and other hideaways, with peace and seclusion as the main themes, plus a surprising choice of leisure and beauty treatments. In short, whatever your style of holiday, nowhere does it better than the Highlands of Scotland!

Everyone has heard of Loch Ness, but Scotland has more than 500 lochs, from deep-sea inlets to small mountain lakes, ideal for discovering in winter – away from the summer crowds and midges. A growing number of hotels are opening up earlier in the season offering luxurious accommodation and gourmet food for which it is worth travelling.  The Loch Torridon, Achnasheen, Wester Ross, stands out from the rest of the crowd just like The Cinnamon Club Restaurant London. See what makes Loch Torridon special.  

The first thing most people would love about Loch Torridon is its location. Mountains of pink granite rise from the loch, the green trees of Ben Damph forest mark the valley and a Victorian mansion commands the shoreline. It lies just over an hour from Inverness, and the single-track mountain road approach takes you past blissful scenery.

Apart from the location, most people are attracted towards the activities offered at Torridon; Such as kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking and mountaineering. The area is a giant adventure playground. Gentler activities include archery, clay-pigeon shooting, falconry or walking, while fishing, pony trekking and wildlife trips can be arranged.

The lovable thing about Torridon is the accommodation offered. With its stone spires, huge bay windows, and Zodiac painted ceiling, The Torridon still embodies Victorian grandeur. Bedrooms are more contemporary, although master rooms have traditional four-posters and claw-foot baths. Meals include produce grown in the kitchen garden.

Scotland have always seeing various ways to promote its tourism to the world. As result, the country has witnessed a significant inflow of tourists during the past years. The number of people who are choosing for Scotland holidays are increasing.

The initiative for 2012 will involve the creative, tourism and events sectors and will showcase Scottish culture. A shortlist of smaller communities will compete to win Creative Place Awards to help to boost cultural projects.

Scotland is a dynamic and creative nation, rich in heritage with a wealth of world-class cultural events. The government expects to continue to build on the success of Homecoming 2009 as the country journey towards a second year of Homecoming in 2014 – when Scotland hosts the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup.

The Year of Creative Scotland also aims to build on the success of existing events, including the Edinburgh Festivals, and complement other events such as the London Olympics. A Year for Scotland’s Creativity!

While the new glass is as modern as it can be, stained glass in Maryhill has a long history to narrate. It was in 1878, the then Burgh commissioned twenty stained glass windows to showcase the trades and industries of Maryhill. They were designed by the artist Stephen Adam, and have become known as the crown jewels of Maryhill. The Scotish Tours to the area can get you into the detailed historic experience of Maryhill Burgh Hall and around.

In 2010, Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust decided to commission ten new stained glass windows, to celebrate the completion of the multi-million pound restoration of the Halls. It has designed with the input and ideas of over 200 local people.

The restored Halls recaptures the splendid historic beauty of this treasured building, and provides the local community with a modern public hall, a cafe and heritage exhibition space, 11 offices, a commercial and community recording studio, nursery, and meeting rooms, all situated around an outdoor courtyard.