Last week I was in the Perthshire area of Scotland.

The spectacular scenery features glens, lochs, burns and hills that are covered in larch and Scots pine.

It’s a ‘big’ landscape not better than the more compact Lake District, but different and equally majestic in its own way. There were lots of North American tourists in the area and you can see why they like the scale of the scenery, which has echoes of landscapes in the United States and Canada.

Scotland’s tourism industry does just what it should, concentrating on the things that make the area unique. So, yes, there are shops selling tweed and tartan but the area also relies heavily on its historical heritage.

Battle sites are highlighted. I saw ‘Soldier’s Leap’, where a Redcoat called Donald MacBean, fleeing from Highlanders in hot pursuit after the Battle of Killiecrankie, leapt 18 feet from a rock ledge across the fast-flowing River Garry to make his escape.

The area also does well in promoting its special food and drink offerings. The tour and whisky tasting at the Blair Atholl Distillery in Pitlochry was fascinating and offered a great insight into this major Scottish industry.

And, further north, you can visit Balmoral, Scottish residence of Her Majesty the Queen.

Like Scotland, the Lake District tourism industry rightly markets its special characteristics, including the fells and lakes and the opportunity to enjoy outdoor adventure.

The area’s literary heritage is also important though I sometimes think even more could be done to take advantage of the connections with Romantic poet William Wordsworth, children’s writer and illustrator Beatrix Potter and Swallows and Amazons novelist Arthur Ransome.

Many of Perthshire’s lovely walks are really well trail-marked and this is something which perhaps could be copied more in our area to make exploring the stunning landscape an even more attractive option for visitors.

And it was refreshing to find that public car parks were relatively cheap compared with their counterparts in the Lake District, where charges can be very pricy.