Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 02/10/2023

Refreshed strategy to boost tourism in the city

Glasgow tourism partners have launched the Glasgow 2030 Tourism Strategy which outlines plans to grow the value of tourism in the city by delivering for visitors, businesses, communities and the environment.

The goal is for tourism to make an even stronger contribution to making Glasgow an attractive place for people to live in, invest in, study, meet and visit.

Five strategic priorities have been established to meet Glasgow’s new tourism vision and ambitions, which are aligned with the national tourism strategy Scotland Outlook 2030.

NextBikes in Glasgow Credit: VisitScotland Kenny Lam

Strategic Priorities

  • Increase the value of tourism to Glasgow's economy

    Focus resources on nurturing those markets which will bring the most economic and social value to the city.

  • Enhance the experiences that we offer

    Invest in tourism assets to give visitors and residents compelling reasons to come into Glasgow.

  • Create value for Glasgow's people through the tourism sector

    Tourism should create value for Glasgow's people by creating economic opportunites through fair work and improving skills and encouraging participation in the city's cultural life.

  • Support vibrant places across the city and surrounding regions

    Glasgow is a diverse city, with many attractions that lie in the city centre and beyond it too. Glasgow also represents an appealing and practical base from which visitors to Scotland can explore the surrounding region - just as locals do.

  • Deliver tourism in a sustainable and inclusive way

    In order to meet Glasgow’s climate action ambitions, as well as other national and local policy objectives, it is imperative that we deliver tourism in a sustainable and inclusive way.

The refreshed Glasgow tourism strategy has been developed by Glasgow Life, VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise, Glasgow City Council and representatives from across Glasgow's tourism business community. 

The strategy will build on the success of the previous Glasgow Tourism and Visitor Plan 2017-23 and continue to strengthen its attractiveness in the years to come as a culturally rich city with an unrivalled visitor experience. 

In 2022, the city attracted 2.65 million visitors in 2022 who stayed as part of a holiday or short break.

They brought an associated spend to the city of £953 million and overnight visitors stayed for three nights on average. Additionally, the tourism sector also supports over 28,000 full-time jobs in Glasgow.

 

Read the Glasgow 2023 Tourism Strategy

The Clyde Arc bridge in Glasgow

The Clyde Arc bridge in Glasgow,  Credit: VisitScotland Kenny Lam

This summer, with the Banksy show attracting record numbers and the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships wowing crowds across the city, Glasgow has yet again made headlines around the world, both as a leading cultural destination and as an expert host of major international events.

By embracing responsible tourism, this new strategy to 2030 sets out a blueprint to build on such successes and continue to bring far-reaching benefits for our visitors, businesses and the residents of neighbourhoods across Glasgow.

We will be working alongside our partners and the industry in Glasgow to help deliver the new strategy, so that tourism continues to be a force for good, creating jobs and enriching the city's communities.

Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive

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