Antonia Beggs, operations director at Ryder Cup Europe, said there was no doubt the Gleneagles Ryder Cup was gone but not forgotten.

She added: "We believe that a strong legacy is being left for the area through new education materials, infrastructure improvements, upgrades to the telecommunications network and, not least, a very strong tourism legacy."

Sports minister Jamie Hepburn said: "The local support around the course was fantastic, giving a warm welcome to visitors from 96 countries and showing half a billion TV viewers that Scotland is the perfect stage for world class events.

"There are lasting benefits for local businesses, residents and school children, while the successful ClubGolf programme will be expanded to give more people the chance to try golf.

"A stream of world class tournaments will ensure Scotland continues to be a leading golf event destination in the coming years."

Many of the MSPs have also highlighted the success of the Ryder Cup in Gleneagles.

Organisers of the 2014 Ryder Cup say the Gleneagles tournament has left a "strong economic and tourism legacy".

Image source, SNS

Ryder Cup Europe paid tribute to the local community.

The event team hailed "significant investment, tourism and education initiatives all providing a major economic boost to the area".

The Ryder Cup was staged in September with Europe defeating the USA 16½-11½.

The Glasgow Commonwealth Games led to £282m worth of tourism, according to official research.

It found that 690,000 people travelled to the city to attend the games. Hotel occupancy in Glasgow reached 95%.

Other parts of Scotland were also said to have benefited, with visitors spending an average of five days in the country.

Leader of Glasgow City Council Gordon Matheson said the event had been "the best games ever".

Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser says he agrees with much of what the tourism minister said and that "this has been a great year for Scotland".

However, he says challenges still remain and "perhaps the greatest one is one of skills" as there is still a perception that much work in the tourist sector is low paid, low skilled and seasonal.

Standards and training opportunities need to be improved he says and industry, colleges and the Scottish government "need to work closely together".

Mr Fraser says Air Passenger Duty is holding back the growth of tourism in Scotland and everyone should welcome that the Smith Commission has called for its devolution and that the Treasury has agreed to this.

He says the question now is "what will we do with this power" and calls on the Scottish government to reduce or eliminate it as quickly as possible.

During Mr Ewing's opening speech says "brand new research" has been announced that shows in the 12 months leading to October this year visitors to Scottish holiday parks spent a total of £700m in the Scottish economy.

The minister said "the caravan and holiday park sector has not really received the credit it deserves".

As well as revealing the £700m figure, the survey by the Scottish Caravan and Camping Forum (SCCF) also found that the sector provided almost 5,700 full-time equivalent jobs.

Its estimates were based on expenditure by holidaymakers and park owners over the 12 months to October.

The forum said it was the first time the value of the sector had been examined in detail.

Scottish Labour MSP Jenny Marra begins her speech saying the debate will be consensual following the successes of 2014 for tourism in Scotland.

Ms Marra says her home city of Dundee has just been given the "stupendous and incredible news" that it has been named he UK's first City of Design by the United Nations.

Dundee has been recognised by Unesco for its diverse contributions to fields including medical research, comics and video games.

The City of Design designation has previously been awarded to 12 cities, including Beijing, Berlin and Montreal.

Dundee was added to the Unesco grouping of "creative cities" alongside European cities Turin, Helsinki, Bilbao and Curitiba in Brazil.

Image source, Gordon Czeschel

The title recognises the design innovations Dundee has contributed to the world, including aspirin, biomedical research which has led to hundreds of new cancer drugs, comics including the Beano and Dandy, orange marmalade, and video games including Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto.

Image source, V&A Dundee

The city's waterfront is also undergoing a 30-year, £1bn regeneration project including the V&A Dundee museum of design.

Mr Ewing concludes: "Scotland welcomed the world this year, as Shona Robinson put it, 2014 was a year to remember 2015 will be a year to succeed."

Mr Ewing, cautions ,however that: "We have to look forward to tomorrow, and we have to replicate the success of 2014 and make sure Scotland stays a world leader on the tourism stage."

Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing tells MSPs there will be a £1 million investment from the Scottish government to help attract major international conferences to Scotland.

The money will be made available in 2015/16 through the Conference Bid Fund, which provides financial assistance through match funding to Scottish destinations bidding to host eligible conferences.

Image source, Chris Downer

Mr Ewing made the announcement at a VisitScotland , externalbusiness tourism conference taking place in Edinburgh this morning, ahead of this debate.

Since its introduction in 2012, match-funded commitments from the Conference Bid Fund have helped secure 72 conferences over the next seven years.

The government estimates that this will bring in 84,000 global delegates and generate £143 million for Scotland's economy, in return for just £1.4 million of spending commitments.

Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing is leading a debate on 'Tourism, A Legacy from 2014'.

Mr Ewing's motion states: "That the Parliament celebrates the success achieved for tourism in Scotland during 2014 and urges the Scottish Government to renew its efforts for the years ahead."

The minister highlights a series of "momentous events" in 2014, led by the Commonwealth games,

He says 690,000 visitors attended Commonwealth games events bringing in £282m.

The Ryder Cup was the "best organised ever" according to Sky Sports pundit Butch Harman, says the minister.

Mr Swinney details representatives of civic Scotland who were disappointed with the proposals.

He says: "It should therefore be of little surprise that given none of these responsibilities were devolved, there was such widespread disappointment on the publication of the report last week.

"The proposals mean control over 71% of taxes in Scotland remains at Westminster along with 85% of welfare decisions - including the conditions and sanctions that are causing so much distress in our country.

"These proposals cannot be characterised as Home Rule or as near federalism as is possible in the UK.

"The Vow has simply not been fulfilled."

During his statement, Mr Swinney outlined a number of recommendations that will enable this Parliament to "better serve the people of Scotland".

•Devolution of Air Passenger Duty, "a tax which impacts on our tourism industry and the wider business sector".

•More extensive powers over income tax, albeit within the reserved framework set by Westminster, opens up new opportunities to this parliament and will increase accountability, says Mr Swinney.

•The devolution of some benefits for disabled people, carers and our elderly will enable us to develop more effective approaches to support the most vulnerable people in our communities, he says

•Mr Swinney says subject to this Parliament's ability find the required resources, we now have the prospect of being able to create new benefits which could assist our people.

•The long overdue agreement to transfer to this Parliament responsibilities and revenues of the Crown Estate to 200 nautical miles is a proposal that has had long standing support across the parties.

•Finally he welcomes the fact that Holyrood will have control over its own elections.

Mr Swinney agrees with Mr Harvie that the implementation of the proposals will be crucial if they are to meet the needs and expectations of the Scottish people.

He says the two governments must work together in an "open and transparent fashion", with joint authorship of legislation so that the parliament is able to consider the output as a joint process.

The deputy first minister says the first minister has raised this with the prime minister, but, to date, there has been no response.

Scottish Green Party co-convener Patrick Harvie, who sat on the Smith Commission, says the impact of the recommendations in the Smith Commission report will depend on the way in which they are implemented.

Mr Harvie asks if Mr Swinney agrees the detailed implementation of the proposals will require agreement between the Scottish and UK governments and if he has had any indication that the UK government is prepared to work with him before January.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie says the deputy first minister's statement was "all too predictable".

Mr Rennie says for the first time ever all five parties were in one room and agreed the constitutional future of Scotland.

He says it only took minutes for Mr Swinney to rubbish the report he had agreed to.

The government could embrace these new radical powers, says Mr Rennie, or is he going to forever re-run the referendum he just lost.

Mr Swinney hits back saying it was not just the SNP that were disappointed by the proposals, listing quotes from a number of organisation.

The deputy first minister concludes "the people of Scotland are disappointed by the conclusions of the Smith Commission."

One of the Scottish Conservative representative's on the commission, Annabel Goldie, says the Smith Commission has delivered a "powerful effective and implementable package of powers for this parliament".

Ms Goldie says Scotland will now raise over 60% of what she spends and be one of the most powerful legislators in the world.

"The SNP knows the Smith agreement shot their fox."

Mr Swinney says this parliament has to have the powers to generate the revenue to pay for measures.

The fact the punitive welfare sanctions are still under the power of Westminster is a travesty of the position Iain Gray is putting forward.

On the questions of a "depressing lack of ambition", Mr Swinney says the Labour party personifies it.

Labour MSP Iain Gray says Mr Swinney has displayed a "depressing lack of imagination" in his speech and details the powers that are in the Smith Commission proposals.

"This is the vow delivered" asserts Mr Gray

Mr Swinney says the proposals means that control over 71% of taxes remain at Westminster and 85% of welfare decisions, which have caused misery in Scotland.

"The vow has quite simple not been fulfilled."