The west coast has been added to Cool Route cruising project stretching from Ireland, Northern Ireland, and onwards to the Faroe Islands and Norway.

Marine tourism is worth £3.7 billion to Scotland and experts want more smaller, remote, firms to get a share.

Cool Route partner Glasgow Caledonian University’s Moffat Centre is marketing the west coast as one of the most attractive cruising destinations in the world.

It is also supporting businesses as part of the bid to attract more luxury vessels to Scotland and lure wealthy tourists onshore.

A new brochure targeting the lucrative market has been produced with firms urged to sign up to a new website boasting of harbour services and attractions.

Several superyachts have been spotted in Scotland in recent years.

US billionaire Richard DeVos’ £100 million vessel Amaryllis was seen moored in Greenock this summer.

Wealthy Russian Alexei Mordashov also caused a stir when his boat Lady M dropped anchor at the same spot in April.

Fellow oligarch Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea FC, toured the Isle of Bute and other islands from his £1.5billion mega-yacht, the Eclipse, in 2015.

Giancarlo Fedeli, of Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “One specific part of the project is to target superyachts and a lot of marketing activity will aim at this particular segment. There’s higher spending there.

“We are aiming at small and medium enterprises and trying to get them involved in the booking website, so visitors will consider using their services.

“It is crucial to communicate to all marine operators and beyond, the benefits the Cool Route can bring in terms of visibility and market reach.”

The Scottish leg of the Cool Route is split into four sections: Argyll and the Islands, the Firth of Clyde, Skye and the North West, and Orkney and Shetland.

Cool Route is led by Cork Institute of Technology and funded by the European Commission’s northern periphery and arctic programme.