The vast, wild landscapes of the Scottish Highlands have long lured tourists, but now a visit is becoming something of a status symbol among China’s growing number of middle-class or wealthy families. In 2017, of the 337,000 visitors from China who travelled to the UK, 62,000 went to Scotland, an almost sixfold increase since 2009, according to VisitScotland. Edinburgh is now the second most-visited city in the UK by Chinese tourists, after London, and last summer direct flights began between the Scottish capital and Beijing.

Tour operators offering Chinese travellers packages to the Highlands advertise the area simply as “Utopia”. “Taking the road north, time stops here,” says one for the Isle of Skye. Others promote the chance to visit locations seen in the Harry Potter films: “Relive the magic of your childhood.”

The boom in visits is unsurprising. China is the world’s fastest-growing source market for tourism and has for years been the top spender, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. While most Chinese people travel within Asia, more are going further afield. And there is still ample room for growth – only about 9% of Chinese citizens hold passports.

So, what impact is it having in Scotland? Local businesses and tour operators are focusing their efforts on attracting more Chinese travellers (although locals have expressed fears that the local infrastructure is struggling to cope as it is). According to its website, VisitScotland is creating a toolkit for businesses on how to welcome Chinese travellers. The Highland and Islands Enterprise development agency is also holding workshops to teach local businesses how to cater to Chinese tourists – with advice including to provide chopsticks and picture menus.

But it seems the Scots are doing well enough already. On the Chinese travel website Mafengwo, one traveller writing under the username Douniu described a recent visit to Glencoe. “When Glencoe appeared in front of us, all we could see were thick clouds enveloping the mountain and mist cascading down the hillside. In the sunlight, it looked like white silk. The black rocks showed the Highlands’ desolation. The moss, thistles, wind and intermittent drizzle made me feel like I was on another planet.”