Scottish tourism businesses are being encouraged to take advantage of the ancestral tourism market in the run up to 2014, when Scotland will host several major events including the Ryder Cup, the Commonwealth Games and Homecoming Scotland 2014 – a year of celebration for those with Scottish roots.

The ancestral tourism market has the potential to grow from 800,000 visitors a year to 4.3m in five years' time, according to tourism agency, VisitScotland.

An estimated 50m people living outside Scotland were either born in the country or have Scottish ancestry, with the ancestral market estimated to be worth £2.4bn over the next five years.

A new guide, published by Tourism Intelligence Scotland (TIS) - Ancestral Tourism in Scotland - has been made available to any business that registers on the Tourism Intelligence website and will provide tourism operators with the latest intelligence on the nation's ancestral markets.

The guide also offers suggestions on how to help businesses gather local information on ancestral landmarks, have a good working knowledge of how to direct tourists to research facilities and resources, provide traditional hospitality which showcases Scottish culture, promote specialist tours and learn from other companies who are already successfully tapping into the ancestral tourism market.

For more details, visit www.homecomingscotland.com To register on the Tourism Intelligence website, go to http://www.tourism-intelligence.co.uk