A flood of new visitors delivered an extra £12million to the Moray economy last year, delighted tourist chiefs have revealed.
Fresh figures show spending went up from £105.6million in 2015 to £117.6milion, helping boost employment.
And statistics released to the Press and Journal show the income has risen 50% since 2009.
Local experts said the rise has contributed to the recent creation of 200 extra jobs over the busy summer months.
And they said the figures proved that the region was fast becoming one of the UK’s top visitor destinations.
Hallmark events like the Piping at Forres music competition, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival and various Highland Games gatherings have been hailed as major contributors towards the upswing.
But the operations manager for Moray Speyside Tourism, Laurie Piper, said the area’s natural beauty was becoming more of a draw.
He singled out the region’s “clear blue coastal waters” as an enticement to visitors.
Mr Piper added: “This excellent performance demonstrates that tourism in Moray Speyside is strong and growing.”
Total visitor numbers have risen to 750,410 from 702,350 in 2015 – an increase of 6.8%
The number of days those tourists are choosing to spend in Moray has also risen, to a combined 1.8million, from 1.75million the year before.
And that has sparked an increase in employment too, with the number of full-time equivalent positions associated with the tourist trade going up by almost 10%, from 2,526 to 2,769.
It is understood that about 10% of Moray’s overall workforce is employed through tourism.
The Findhorn Bay Arts Festival proved a massive draw last year.
The second instalment of the biennial event boosted the region’s coffers by £875,000 across six days in September.
Organisers say £571,219 of that came from visitor spend.
The group also worked out that nearly 20% of attendees had travelled from other parts of Scotland to take in shows, and international guests came from America, Australia, Germany and Italy.
Other extravaganzas specific to 2016 included the inaugural Spirit of Speyside: Distilled Food and Drink event at Elgin Town Hall in September and the Colours of Cluny lights spectacular at Forres last winter.
The Malt Whisky Trail, which highlights the area’s distilleries, was also relaunched last year in a renewed effort to capitalise on the malt industry as a selling point.
Last year’s tourism takings dwarfed the £94.63million amassed in 2013, and represents a huge rise from £80million in 2009.
More than 22% of the millions spent in Moray last year went on accommodation, with 17% of the cash going towards food and drink and 10% on shopping.
Mr Piper added that visitor numbers had risen by more than 19% since Moray Speyside Tourism was formed in 2014.
And Malcolm Roughead, the chief executive of the VisitScotland promotional group, visited Moray last week to determine how to attract even more people.
VisitScotland regional director Jo Robinson, said: “Tourism is more than a holiday experience – it is integral to sustaining communities across the region by generating income, creating jobs and stimulating social change.
“This area’s reputation as a quality destination relies on continued investment and innovation to ensure future demand is met.”
The Piping at Forres festival alone generated £1million towards the local economy last year.
Organisers, who are making final preparations for the fifth annual contest this weekend, said their mission was to convince people who visit for it to stay and explore Moray.
Joanna Taylor said: “These figures are welcome, but come as no surprise to us.
“Now that the event is established, we are finding that people who are visiting are prolonging their stay in the area.
“In fact, we have already had bands and their families from Australia contacting us about the 2018 event for help with finding accommodation.”
