A party of 60 international golfers will fly into Inverness today (Friday 27 August) to play a charity match to raise money for a foundation that supports terminally ill children in Switzerland.

The golfers from Switzerland, Holland, France, Germany and the UK are flying into the Highland ’s hub airport on a charter flight operated by Swiss budget airline Helvetic.

The party will stay at the Royal Marine and Links Hotels in Brora and play their charity golf event at Brora Golf Club on Saturday to raise money for the Brian Roy Foundation.

The visitors will also gain a true flavour of the Highlands during their stay with a visit to Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness with Jacobite Cruises and lunches at the Loch Ness Lodge Hotel in Drumnadrochit and the Golf View Hotel in Nairn over the weekend. On Saturday evening, they will enjoy a celebration dinner at Dunrobin Castle , Golspie.

All the hotels and visitor attractions as well as HIAL and Historic Scotland are members of the Highlands and Loch Ness Marketing Group that works to promote tourism in the region.

Helvetic will start operating a daily scheduled service between Zurich and London Gatwick at the end of September that will allow Swiss visitors to gain connecting flights in London to the Highlands. BA, bmi and easyJet all operate daily scheduled services between Inverness and the London airports of Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton.

Robert Powell, Managing Director of the Royal Marine and Links Hotels said: “Golf is a major attraction in the area for international visitors and we are delighted to be welcoming this group of charity golfers to the Highlands at the weekend.

“European visitors are very important to the region’s tourism industry and we see increasing numbers arriving by air, both on scheduled and charter services at Inverness Airport.”

Alex Johnson, Commercial and Marketing Manager at HIAL, added: “In addition to the 300 scheduled flights a week at Inverness Airport there are a wide range of inbound charter and executive flights that bring high value tourists into the region. The airport is increasingly important as a visitor gateway for the region and we are delighted to see this large group choosing to fly into the Highlands for their charity event.”

ENDS