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Visit Scotland | Alba

Overview

  • Insight on tourism in Glasgow and the Clyde Valley (also known as the wider Glasgow area) is available from a range of different sources. These include tourism monitors, national statistics, and commissioned research.
  • On this page, you will find key data for the area. There are also links to further information regarding a particular source or study.
  • This region covers the local authority areas of East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, and West Dunbartonshire.
  • In 2023, there were a total of 3.53 million overnight tourism visits to Glasgow and the Clyde Valley and a total overnight tourism spend of  £1,075 million.
  • In 2023,  there was a total of 2.74 million overnight tourism visits to Glasgow and a total overnight tourism spend of £935 million (Glasgow city only).

1. Key statistics (Glasgow and Clyde Valley)

3.53 million

total overnight visits by international and domestic visitors in 2023

10.9 million

total nights spent in accommodations by international and domestic visitors in 2023

£1,075 million

total spend by international and domestic visitors 2023

£305

average overnight visitor spend in 2023

Figures shown represent tourism performance for Glasgow and the Clyde Valley, 2023. Sources: International Passenger Survey 2023, Great Britain Tourism Survey, 2023.

Key statistics (Glasgow City)

2.74 million

total overnight trips by international and domestic visitors in 2023

8.63 million

total nights spent in accommodations by international and domestic visitors in 2023

£935 million

total spend by international and domestic visitors in 2023

£341

average overnight visitor spend in 2023

Figures shown represent tourism performance for Glasgow, 2023. Sources: International Passenger Survey 2023, Great Britain Tourism Survey 2023.

Domestic overnight tourism

Region Domestic visits Domestic nights Domestic spend
Glasgow and the Clyde Valley 2,786,000 6,455,000 £695 million
Glasgow City 2,053,000 4,604,000 £580 million

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey, 2023

Do you want to see this data as a graph or view past year figures?

View graphs and data on tourismobservatory.scot

International overnight tourism

Region International visits International nights International spend
Glasgow and the Clyde Valley 740,000 4,455,000 £380 million
Glasgow City 685,000 4,030,000 £335 million

Source: International Passenger Survey, 2023 

Do you want to see this data as a graph or view past year figures?

View graphs and data on tourismobservatory.scot

Employment and economic performance

Local Authority Tourism employment in 2022 Tourism employment as % of all employment Tourism businesses in 2023 Tourism businesses as a% of all businesses Tourism Turnover in 2021 Total tourism GVA per head in 2021
East Dunbartonshire 2,500 5.1% 185 6.6% £82 million £16,066
East Renfrewshire 2,000 4.6% 180 6.9% £59 million £14,843
Glasgow City 33,000 10.1% 2,090 10.8% £1,127 million

£19,790

Inverclyde 2,000 5.8% 180 11.8% £64 million £15,886
North Lanarkshire 7,000 4.2% 645 8.5% £178 million £13,752
Renfrewshire 6,000 6.6% 425 9.2% £183 million £15,330
South Lanarkshire 9,000 5.6% 715 7.9% £146 million £8,188
West Dunbartonshire 3,500 8.3% 230 13.0% £102 million £13,594

Source: Scottish Growth Sector Statistics, December 2023

Do you want to see this data as a graph, a time series, or a data file (CSV)?

View this data as a time series on tourismobservatory.scot

2. Scotland Visitor Survey 2023

In 2023, we commissioned the Scotland Visitor Survey to gather insight on visitor attitudes and behaviours. The scope of the survey was leisure overnight visitors only.

The survey explores all aspects of the visitor experience in Scotland. Further information on the background, methodology, and key highlights from the survey is also available.

Browse Scotland Visitor Survey 2023.

The visitor survey also allows us to explore the experiences of visitors who stayed overnight in a specific area.

Overnight visitors to Glasgow

43%

were domestic visitors

57%

were international visitors

58%

were repeat visitors

16%

were on a trip of a lifetime

Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 (please note these figures cover Glasgow City only)

Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 - Glasgow factsheet

Published June 2024

Overnight visitors to Wider Glasgow

73%

were domestic visitors

27%

were international visitors

70%

were repeat visitors

8%

were on a trip of a lifetime

Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 (please note these figures exclude Glasgow City)

Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 - Wider Glasgow factsheet

Published June 2024

3. Methodology

The data published on this page is sourced from a number of different studies.

Great Britain Tourism Survey

Jointly sponsored by VisitEngland, VisitScotland and Visit Wales. The sample size for Glasgow and the Clyde Valley was 315 and for Glasgow was 235.
Browse more information on domestic overnight tourism to Scotland.

International Passenger Survey

Carried out by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). VisitBritain, VisitScotland and Visit Wales are sponsors of the survey. The sample size for Glasgow and the Clyde Valley was 854 and for Glasgow was 786.
Browse more information on international tourism performance.

Scotland Visitor Survey

Commissioned by VisitScotland. The sample size for Glasgow was 533 and for the Wider Glasgow, excluding Glasgow City was 278. 
Explore details from the Scotland Visitor Survey.

Scottish Growth Sector Statistics

Read details on industry statistics on gov.scot.

Related links