To ask the Scottish Executive what measures does it intend to introduce to promote tourism in the Highlands and Islands.

Together with my Ministerial colleagues, Alasdair Morrison and Nicol Stephen, I have had a useful preliminary meeting with the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourist Board. We discussed some of the opportunities and challenges that face the tourism industry in the years ahead.

It is my intention to ask the STB to consult widely and to prepare a new strategy for the industry by around the end of this year. This strategy will identify action that needs to be taken in the Highlands and Islands and elsewhere to ensure that the tourism industry throughout Scotland realises its full potential.