Scotland's new giant pandas have finally gone on display to the public at Edinburgh Zoo.

Tian Tian and Yang Guang arrived in the country on Sunday December 4 and spent their first few days indoors before acclimatising to their new enclosure.

Around 600 tickets for the zoo have already been sold in advance of the opening day, which is three times normal sales for a Friday in mid December. Sales for the rest of the weekend have also risen by around 80%.

Members of the public filed past the two enclosures in groups of around 25, where they took photographs and were given a short talk by a zoo guide.

Denise Stronach, 46, from East Kilbride, said she was the first one through the gates.

She said: "It was absolutely fantastic. I'm ecstatic. I can't believe I was the first one. As soon as I knew the pandas were coming to Scotland, I kept coming into the zoo every time I was through in Edinburgh, asking: are they here yet?

"As soon as I found out the exact date, that was it. I was right down to be first on the list. I want them to have a wee baby and I want to be first to see that as well.

"It's a big thing for Scotland. It will bring so much tourism here."

Lesley MacNiven, 40, from Edinburgh, took her two young daughters to see the bears.

She said: "We are zoo members and we come at least once a month. The girls aren't at nursery on a Friday, so we thought: why not come on the first day?

"They've been following all the news reports and have been really keen to see the pandas, so it's been absolutely great. I've loved pandas myself since I was a child, so it was amazing to see them in real life.

"The enclosure looks fantastic. The panda looks quite at home there and not bothered about the visitors, which is lovely to see.

"I think that's a real privilege for the zoo to have them and a real testament to the good work that they do here. It will attract more people to Edinburgh and the zoo and that can only be a good thing."

Chief Executive of Edinburgh Zoo, Hugh Roberts said: "Tian Tian and Yang Guang's arrival has been met by a wave of excitement and thousands have been anticipating the day they can finally see the giant pandas.

"Our dedicated team at the Zoo has worked tirelessly to create a world-class enclosure to house our newest additions, offering visitors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view these extraordinary animals."

The zoo has created a "Panda patrol" of 14 trained helpers to guide the expected influx of visitors from Friday.

The pair, who are from the Ya'an reserve in Chengdu, China, are the first giant pandas to live in the UK for 17 years.

It is hoped that the eight-year-old breeding pair will eventually give birth to cubs at Edinburgh Zoo, which will be their home for the next 10 years.