The quiet and sleepy seaside town of Nairn has been named as the second-most favored Global destination for 2010.

The study was conducted by website TripAdvisor and it quizzed around 3,000 users on next year’s holiday hot-spots, and amazingly Nairn, Inverness-shire, was only piped by Troncones, Mexico.

In the Top Five World Destinations for 2010 rankings, Nairn beat Unesco world heritage site of El Chalten, Patagonia, Patara in Turkey and Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany.

Talking to reporters, Visit Scotland’s Fiona Stewart said, “I may be a little biased as I am Nairn born and bred, but I would argue that is should be No1, not second. It has a mild climate and wonderful beaches. Americans love it because it has great scenery and culture and good food - and they also get to chat with the locals. They get a very friendly welcome here.”

Moreover, former Provost Sandy Park said, “We have a wonderful beach, two great gold courses and historic castles all around. I'm delighted the town has now been recognized in this way.”