The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is aiming to reach an audience of a billion people through an international expansion programme.

The Tattoo, which has already staged shows in Australia and New Zealand in the last 15 years, plans to double its turnover to £20m by 2025.

The company wants to secure overseas tours in China, Australia and Canada from 2019 onward.

The ambition to attract a global audience of a billion by 2025 is described as "a step change" for the organisation whose annual Edinburgh show is bound by the physical size of the Edinburgh Castle esplanade.

Tattoo producer and chief executive, Brigadier David Allfrey, said: "The Tattoo is one of the greatest shows on earth, attracting audiences across the globe to Edinburgh and selling out year on year.

"We are a small company but we have big ambitions and are focused on delivering a show that is bigger and better, more technically advanced and visually thrilling every year.

"Edinburgh is an amazing stage and will always be our home, but for us to continue to thrive as an organisation, we need to look beyond the esplanade and the walls of the city."

The company aims to continue to grow revenue streams overseas to deliver commercial benefits and reinvest in Scotland.

The show sells 220,000 tickets for its Edinburgh show each August, generating £77m annually for the UK economy with a further £30m value added in full-time employment.

Performances in Australia and New Zealand in 2016 generated more than 240,000 ticket sales and provided £50m gross economic impacts to the cities of Melbourne and Wellington.

Mr Allfrey added: "Our previous tours have shown there is a huge appetite for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo internationally, and we want to build our brand by giving more people the opportunity to enjoy the wonderfully rich and exhilarating Tattoo experience more often and in evolving forms.

"We are in the unique position to be able to bring together military and civil societies, link Scotland with the international community and strengthen ties with current and future British allies so we're excited to reveal these plans today and invite our key partners, sponsors, supporters and audiences to join us on this journey to new destinations and long term success."