Tourism chiefs say a packed programme of events helped lure record numbers of visitors to Perthshire in 2014.
Hundreds of thousands of people descended on the area for a series of Homecoming-themed festivals and shows.
VisitScotland said that around two million people attended 1,049 events across the country.
One of the biggest successes was the European Festival of Brass, which drew 116,500 to Perth Concert Hall in May, while musician Dougie MacLean’s annual extravaganza, Perthshire Amber, also reported record audiences with 10,821 people attending.
Tourism figures were boosted by a larger than expected number of Homecoming events more than double the initial national target of 400 and huge international events like the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the MTV European Music Awards, also held in Glasgow.
In its annual review, VisitScotland said there were knock-on effects for schools, communities, local authorities and more than 1,000 businesses, among them the Strathearn Distillery and Inveralmond Brewery, which played an active role in Homecoming celebrations.
Jim Clarkson, VisitScotland’s regional partnership director, said: “There really was no place like home for the people of Perthshire during 2014. We welcomed the world and, boy, did we have fun doing it.”
He added: “We opened our arms and laughed and cheered with our guests. We gave them directions, provided sunscreen and, sometimes, the odd umberella.
“We didn’t just show them a good time we joined in.”
He said the Homecoming programme had touched every corner of the country.
“I am unaware of any other country in the world our size which has delivered events on such scale and with such prowess,” added Mr Clarkson.
Festival director Jennifer MacLean said: “We are delighted that our Perthshire Amber Festival was one of the featured Homecoming Scotland 2014 events.
“It has been described as an unbeatable music festival experience and, in its 10th year, broke all our records for attendance and economic impact, with visitors from 25 different countries coming to Perthshire from as far away as New Zealand, Brazil and Japan.
“The Homecoming team were a delight to work with and their promotional efforts truly benefited our 2014 event.”
Minister for tourism Fergus Ewing said that the campaign had been a huge success for Scotland.
“In 2014, building on the momentum created by the success of previous themed years, we have seen a record-breaking number of events and attractions right across the country, extending the benefits of the Commonwealth games and Ryder Cup across the whole year and boosting the tourism and wider economy,”
He said the focus now turned to the 2015 programme under the banner of Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink.