Tourism in Glasgow continues to thrive, with increased visitor numbers and spend during 2024
New figures for tourism in Glasgow demonstrate its continued growth in 2024, delivering greater economic impact for the city.
The Scottish Tourism Economic Impact Model (STEAM) data for last year revealed increases in both visitor numbers and spend.
Key highlights of the results were that:
- Over 4.7 million visitors stayed overnight in the city - a rise of more than 20% on the previous year
- £1.84 billion in economic impact was generated as a result
- Adding in spend by day visitors, total direct visitor expenditure increased to £2.39 billion.
- Locally, tourism supported over 37,000 full-time jobs
Leisure and business events continued to be a major driver of visits and spend during 2024 - from The World Athletics Indoor Championships at the Emirates Arena and the blockbuster 'Discovering Degas' exhibition at The Burrell Collection, to a record-breaking year for conferences, which generated more than £153 million for Glasgow's economy.
Glasgow Life Head of Tourism and Conventions, Aileen Crawford, said: "Emphasising the vital role tourism plays in enabling our city to achieve its economic goals, the STEAM results for 2024 are great news for Glasgow and for Scotland.
"They are also an endorsement of our Tourism Strategy 2030, which was developed collaboratively with partners including VisitScotland, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Airport, and representatives from our local business community.
"Our priority is to ensure we stimulate business growth by showcasing everything our vibrant city has to offer local, national and international visitors by positioning Glasgow as a world-class destination to not only visit but also to live, work, study, meet and invest in."
You can find out more at: https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/news/tourism-in-glasgow-continues-to-thrive-2024-data-demonstrates-increased-visitor-numbers-and-spend