Scotland Correspondent, the world’s only free, multi-media digital magazine promoting all things Scottish to a global audience, has launched a Chinese language edition.

The monthly magazine already reaches thousands of people in more than 60 countries highlighting the best of Scotland and uniting lovers of the country’s scenery, history, culture and products.

More than 40 per cent of the magazine’s regular readers are from North America but it also has followers across Europe and as far a field as India, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the rest of the UK.

Now, in a pioneering move, it has added add to its growing circulation with a quarterly bumper edition created specifically for a Chinese audience. Scotland Correspondent is the first and only magazine of its kind to do this.

The first edition of 苏格兰通讯 was launched in time for Golden Week, beginning on October 1, one of the most popular times of the year for Chinese people to take or plan holidays.

The digital magazine, which is renowned for its photographic spreads and eye-catching features, is being promoted in China through numerous travel operators, and to Chinese visitors and residents in the UK via QR codes displayed at various venues across the country.

The number of Chinese visitors has grown dramatically in the last few years and is predicted to increase much more over the next decade. China is already in the top five growth markets for tourism in Scotland.

Digital content shared on mobile devices is hugely influential among Chinese visitors. More than 75 per cent of tourists say they rely on reviews and word of mouth via Chinese blogs, websites and social media platforms to decide on where to go, where to stay and what to do on holiday.

As with other tourists Chinese visitors like to research places, brands and products before booking a holiday – but they don’t have access to most western channels such as Google, Youtube, Twitter or Facebook. Instead they have their own social media sites such as Weibo and WeChat, often making it more complicated for Scottish businesses to attract potential Chinese customers.

“The majority of Chinese visitors come to Scotland as part of organised groups and rely heavily on the advice and guidance of travel operators. That’s why we have arranged to distribute the digital magazine through a network of travel agents and organisations in China,” said Chen Li, an expert on the Chinese tourism market and a member of the Scotland Correspondent team.

“These operators now have a quality, eye-catching magazine specifically designed for their clients that they can use to promote Scotland as an ideal primary destination. It also gives Scottish businesses a unique platform to reach potential new customers as we share the content on Chinese social media.