Glasgow is Scotland’s second biggest city. Therefore, the question must be asked: why is Glasgow 16th in the popularity ratings of places in Scotland? There have been many attempts at answering this puzzle, yet the main result of such an inquiry is the decade-long plan to place Glasgow firmly back on Scotland’s tourism map. Much has been blamed on Glasgow’s poor image as a drug haven and centre of violence, the low levels of entrepreneurship, lack of cleanliness and lack of direct scheduled air services. Due to these reasons, it is widely believed that Glasgow is not fulfilling its potential. There are plans over the next decade to change such a scenario with a ten-year scheme which is tougher than any other challenge involved in Scotland’s tourism industry.
The plan was drawn up by VisitScotland, the Glasgow city council, the Glasgow city marketing bureau and the institution of Scottish enterprise. It aims not only to eradicate the existing flaws of Scotland’s second largest city yet also to create 9.000 more jobs in the field of tourism, increase the annual revenue to around one billion pounds and improve the image of Glasgow all over the globe. There are similar plans to build around 3.000 luxury hotel rooms in the next ten years. The lack of four and five-star hotels has been identified as a further problem facing Glasgow’s development as a destination for tourists.
The outlook and the results so far have been rather promising. Glasgow is currently ranked 25th in the world rankings for conference destinations, much higher than in recent years. Similarly, there has been a certain element of success in the United States. This news is particularly positive as Americans account for 28% of all foreign visitors to Glasgow. The whole strategy plans to include the hosting of the Commonwealth games, the opening of the new Riverside museum and the introduction of the SECC arena to what is becoming a busier and busier city.