The director of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC), Liz Cameron, said yesterday that Scotland has delivered a “resoundingly upbeat” economic assessment over the second quarter of 2006

The quarterly survey was carried out by the SCC in conjunction with Strathclyde University’s Fraser of Allander Institute.

In particular, Cameron highlighted Scotland’s tourism sector as being “brighter this summer than last” and praised VisitScotland for its focused marketing efforts, saying that direct air services to Scotland courtesy of a Scottish Executive initiative also “played a key part”.

Cameron said: "This is a positive set of results for the Scottish economy as we enter the summer period. It is particularly encouraging to see the continuing growth in the tourism sector, with four-fifths of respondents reporting rising or level demand.

“Occupancy is at 77 per cent, up from 67 per cent in the same quarter a year ago and there is a marked increase in visitor numbers, particularly from overseas.”

The survey also reported growth for the construction and retail sectors in Scotland. Details: www.scottishchambers.org.uk