Cairngorm National Park has been given a £1m boost to help it become a world-class destination able to compete with the likes of Yosemite National Park in the US or the Canadian Rockies.

Scottish Enterprise Grampian is investing the money around the east side of the park to help drive visitor numbers up by 3-6% a year.

This would support an additional 1200 jobs and tie in with the tourism industry target to increase revenue from tourism by 50% by 2015.

The money will be used over the next three years for working with businesses to find ways of developing new products and facilities; to help estates and outdoor activity organisations improve and expand on what they offer; and to improve the skills of workers in the sector.

The £1m is expected to lever a further £7m of private investment for accommodation and tourism facilities, and to increase visitor spending by 66% from £52.3m to almost £87m within the next 10 years.

The SE Grampian team working on developing tourism has already identified capacity for at least one small to medium-sized resort to be created to the east of the park. David Littlejohn, SE Grampian's global connections director, said without the funding there was a risk of a decline in tourism in the area.

"We have to see ourselves as competing in an international market with the likes of Yosemite National Park in the US or the Canadian Rockies, and provide increasingly discerning visitors with a world-class destination," he added. "Our vision for the area is to increase the number of high-value visitors we attract and boost our economy by making it a sought-after destination for people from across Europe.

"We need to develop new products or facilities in areas such as country sports, walking and health and wellbeing.

"We also want the area to become renowned for its relaxed lifestyle, excellent hospitality and its sensitively developed resorts."

The Queen's Balmoral Estate already offers a range of activities from running and painting holidays to luxury safaris and wildlife watching.