IT is seen as Scotland’s quiet corner, with gentle rolling hills surrounding some of the most fertile farmland in the country where the area’s native Belted Galloway cattle graze.

But now tourism bosses are turning the spotlight on the south-west of Scotland in the latest Route 66-style campaign to lure visitors to the region’s beauty spots.

The campaign by Visit South West Scotland (VSWS) aims to raise awareness of the circular 300-mile South West Coastal 300 (SWC300) touring route through Dumfries and Galloway and South Ayrshire.

The SWV300 was designed by Motorcycle Scotland and adapted by tourist chiefs to take in more local attractions.

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The road trip takes in the south-west coastline from Ayr to Cairngaan via Stranraer and Portpatrick, before passing along the south of Scotland through Wigtown, Kirkcudbright and Castle Douglas, then heading inland to Dumfries.

From there the remainder of the route loops round via Lockerbie, Moffat, Sanquhar, New Cumnock, Dalmellington and Maybole.

The new digital campaign, funded with £20,000 from VisitScotland, is geared to making visitors “fall in love” with south-west Scotland by showcasing aspects of the route which offer particular appeal to the key target markets such as its scenery, wildlife and adventure sports.

Ian McAndrew, chairman of Visit South West Scotland, said: “The south-west of Scotland is a special place, it has so much to offer, especially to lovers of the great outdoors and that is a message we are working hard to get out there.

“As a trade organisation, collaboration is at the core of what we do, we rely on our members and our strategic partners to get behind our efforts to make a real difference to tourism in the South West.

“Therefore when VisitScotland agreed to support our promotional campaign for the South West Coastal 300, a touring route that encourages visitors to explore our region, we were delighted.”

Tourist bosses will market the SWC300 Touring Road Route to the rest of the UK and Ireland in an online drive featuring short films, images and itineraries, and promotional activity on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram by “influencers” – people with tens of thousands of social media followers.

They expect the campaign to reach more than 800,000 people via social media and at least double traffic to the South West Coastal 300 landing page on the VSWS website.

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Paula Ward, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, said: “With its stunning coastal and inland landscapes, peaceful atmosphere and fantastic attractions, the south-west of Scotland is a great visitor destination and the SWC300 is the perfect route for experiencing it.

“I’m thrilled we were able to support this exciting new campaign and I can’t wait to see the outputs.

“At VisitScotland we want to champion collaboration, spearhead digital innovation and promote local areas to make sure every part of Scotland enjoys the benefits of tourism.”

The latest tourism drive comes after the success of the North Coast 500, which was developed as a way to bring visitors to hidden parts of the Scottish Highlands and give economic benefits to struggling communities.

The 516-mile route – dubbed Scotland’s answer to Route 66, the famous US highway linking Chicago to Santa Monica – was essentially a rebranding of an existing system of roads that had been around for decades.

It begins at Inverness Castle before heading north to John O’Groats and looping back around along the north-west coast via Durness, Lochinver and Applecross.

It takes in breathtaking countryside, including the infamous hairpin bends of the Bealach na Ba, secluded northern beaches, distilleries, smokehouses and farm shops, and was recently named the most spectacular drive in the UK.

Visitors can have their NC500 “passport” stamped at attractions along the route.

Its twisting single-track road have proven particularly popular with cyclists and motorists, including the owners of supercars, although residents living along the route have complained that its popularity was causing disruption. There have been calls for a Highland tourist tax to help the wider region cash in on the venture.

The North Coast 500 company was initially set up by Prince Charles’ North Highland Initiative to promote the existing road internationally.

It was later taken over by Wildland Ventures Ltd, a conservation-based company owned by Scotland’s largest private landowner, Anders Hoch Povlsen, the Danish Asos clothing billionaire, and his wife Anne Povlsen.