Scotland has long attracted crowds of tourists drawn by golf and whisky, but now the new government, which wants independence from London, says it is giving the sector a higher priority.
There is a strong emphasis on appealing to Scotland's diaspora through projects such as a family history complex in Edinburgh which aims to entice more foreigners to visit Scotland to research their Celtic roots.
The Scotland's People Centre will allow visitors to access well over 60 million records of births, deaths, marriages, wills, land ownership and coats of arms dating back to 1553, under one grandly domed roof for the first time.
It should open in June and organisers hope it will appeal to overseas visitors from countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia, to which Scots have historically migrated.
Another example is Homecoming Scotland, a year-long programme of events in 2009 to mark the 250th anniversary of national poet Robert Burns's birth targeted at the diaspora.
The projects were planned before the election last year of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), but highlight the kind of event it is backing as it bids to show Scotland can stand on its own two feet economically.
Tourism Minister Jim Mather told AFP that he saw the sector not only as a way of boosting the economy, but also of raising the world profile of this country of five million people-and even enticing some Scots in exile to move home. The tourism sector "has to become bigger" as the nation considers a possible move towards independence, he added.
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