Highlands join top 20 global destinations

It is the home of the Loch Ness monster and boasts Scotland's largest national park, but remains a largely hidden gem - attracting fewer than 500,000 foreign visitors a year.

But now the Scottish Highlands has been named as one of the world's top 20 destinations by an influential travel magazine - highlighted alongside exotic hotspots such as Laos in south-east Asia, Papua New Guinea and the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada.

National Geographic Traveller - the travel arm of international publication National Geographic listed the region as one of its 20 Best Trips of 2011. The accolade was handed out after senior editor Norie Quintos visited Aviemore in October, where she addressed the Adventure Travel World Summit.

Ms Quintos was so impressed with the Highlands that she selected it as one of her choices for the prestigious list, which is published by the magazine annually.

"I was enveloped by the rough-and-tumble Highland history of clans and kings - made all the more atmospheric by the stunning quality of light on the moors, especially after rain," said Ms Quintos, editor of the magazine's Smart Traveller section.