SLOVENIAN OFFICIALS have targeted Highland Perthshire as the perfect market for new tourism ventures.

A high-level delegation visited the thankfully sun-kissed area this week, taking in attractions in and around Pitlochry, Dunkeld and Aberfeldy.

It is hoped links can be forged between Slovenia and Scotland which will see joint marketing campaigns and a flow of visitors between the countries.

The visit was arranged after officials in the Slovenian town of Bled decided to look worldwide for an international partner and chose Pitlochry and its environs.

The touring group included the mayor of Bled, the Slovenian consul to Scotland and ambassador Iztok Mirosic.

Some of the highlights on the two-day tour included trips to Mains of Taymouth, Dunkeld Cathedral, Blair Athol Distillery, Blair Castle, Pitlochry Festival Theatre and the Scottish Crannog Centre on Loch Tay.

Ian Brown, from the Pitlochry Partnership, said, “Bled is featured in the National Geographic as one of the top tourist spots in the world.

“They did a search for somewhere in the world that they could most appropriately build links with and Pitlochry came top of the list because it’s got adventure holidays, because it’s got cultural holidays, because it’s got beautiful scenery—all these links were there.

“I don’t think we always give credit to our own features but we were delighted, and having talked with everyone in Aberfeldy and other towns in Highland Perthshire, they’re all delighted to be part of what could be a really exciting adventure.”

Janez Fajfar, the mayor of Bled, added, “It felt like home immediately here. It’s very green and it’s ancient and there’s a lot of water, so we thought it would be a nice thing to co-operate a little bit more, especially on tourism, culture and sport.

“Lots of Scots already come to Slovenia, to our own Highlands.”

The Slovenian town is famous worldwide for its glacial Lake Bled, overlooked by Bled Castle, which has an island with traces of prehistoric man.