28 . Glasgow Business August 2015


TOURISM GROWTH IS A


One of the big winners from the Commonwealth Games legacy is the tourism sector in the city


G


lasgow’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2014 produced a record


summer of leisure visitors to the city. Research for the Scotish


Government showed that an estimated 690,000 visitors atended events related to Glasgow 2014, spending around £282 million atending Commonwealth Games sporting events, the Games ceremonies and the associated Festival 2014 cultural events in Glasgow. Of 690,000 Games visitors,


250,000 stayed overnight and 440,000 made day trips to the sporting and cultural venues in Glasgow and across Scotland. 220,000 Games visitors came from outwith Scotland. While the major benefits from


the Games were experienced in Glasgow, the event also contributed to the wider Scotish economy with overnight visitors from the rest of the UK spending, on average, 5.5 nights in Scotland, with visitors from the rest of the world staying, on average, 10 nights. Average visitor spend per day


was £57 for day visitors and £125 for overnight visitors, well above the industry average of £48 for day visitors and £68 for overnight visitors. Also, 94 per cent of B&B


rooms and 95 per cent of hotel rooms in Glasgow and Clyde Valley were occupied during the Games, up 25 per cent and 12 per cent respectively on the same period the previous year. Te impact was also felt


around Scotland, with self- catering occupancy up 30 per cent in Ayrshire and Arran, up 17 per


cent in Aberdeen and Grampian and up 20 per cent in the Borders. Te research also shows that of


those experiencing Glasgow 2014 and/or Festival 2014, 93 per cent rated Scotland as a ‘very good’ place to visit. Te hope is that this will spread by word of mouth and lead to others visiting the city. Separate figures for Glasgow


city centre hotel occupancy show a significant rise over the past few months. City centre hotel occupancy figures for the period from April 2014 to March 2015 saw an average occupancy of 83 per cent, with the summer months showing 89 per cent in July 2014, 92 per cent in August of that year and 91 per cent in September, according to the figures. Tis compares with an average


of 80.4 per cent in the April 2013 to March 2014 period and 76.8 per cent the previous year to that. Tis increased occupancy is,


however, only part of the story for hotels as the average room rate reached record levels in the summer months of 2014. Tis means that there was a significant increase in revenues for hotels over the period. Figures from the Office of


National Statistics for 2014 showed that Glasgow had the fiſth largest number of visitors staying in the city for at least one night of UK cities, generating £245 million for the local economy. Tis performance saw Glasgow move up from sixth to fiſth in this table, with the city moving ahead of Liverpool. Te Commonwealth Games


along with the Ryder Cup and the Year of the Homecoming sparked a large rise in the number of visitors from North America to


While the major benefits were experienced in Glasgow, the event also contributed to the wider Scottish economy


THE PEOPLE’S PALACE AND WINTER GARDENS


THE GALLERY OF MODERN ART


Scotland – up 28.2 per cent year on year to 500,000. Te number of European residents visiting Scotland was up 10.5 per cent in 2014. Te success of the Games and


the subsequent major sporting events held and bid for by Glasgow followed a significant programme of investment in the


run-up to 2014. Te city invested £198 million in the five years from 2009 until the competition began. Increasing interest in Glasgow


stimulated by the Games and other major sporting and cultural events has helped create demand for an increase in transport options to the city. During the 11 days of the


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