ONE of Scotland’s biggest tourism attractions has become the first in the country to join a cashless pay system popular in Asia.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has signed up to WeChat Pay, which allows users to buy goods and services with mobile handsets linked to their bank accounts.

Although relatively unknown in Europe, it has 938 million monthly active users — 90 per cent of which are in China.

Brigadier David Allfrey (pictured above, centre), chief executive and producer of the Tattoo, said: “This is a game-changer in building relationships with our Chinese customers and in partnerships going forward.

“We have been in a number of conversations in China for the last six years and are delighted to be the first Scottish tourism business to connect in this way. It feels like a major milestone.”

The event saw an 89 per cent surge in Chinese ticket sales between 2015 and 2016. It is due to take its military showcase to China in 2020.