Date :
30/01/2014
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) recently collated available data from multiple sources to provide outcomes on how the city’s tourism industry is performing. It highlights the city as a major visitor destination and significant contributor to the Scottish economy.
We've focused on some of these outcomes to identify what tourism businesses can learn from the results in terms of their own product development and how they target visitors in terms of visitor behaviour and preferences.
Key findings include:
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Almost a quarter (23%) of visitors to Glasgow are from overseas.
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Two out of every three visitors (67%) are repeat visitors.
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The most popular activities undertaken by visitors are visiting museums, shopping, dining out and nightlife and visiting art galleries.
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Almost a quarter (24%) of all visitors to the city are aged under 35.
Transport and travel
Glasgow is a major hub for rail and air journeys with connectivity to the city increasing. In 2012, some 8,225,763 passengers passed through Glasgow International and Prestwick airports – 87% of whom travelled via Glasgow International Airport.
Glasgow Airport is home to some of the world's leading airlines, including Continental, US Airways, BA, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic. Furthermore, almost a third of visitors (29%) arrive in the city via train, with Glasgow Central the second busiest railway station in the UK.
What can tourism businesses learn?
Although this data relates to the Glasgow tourism industry, it clearly relates to those running a business elsewhere in Scotland. The research found that 53% of visitors come to Glasgow as one of a number of destinations on their itinerary compared with 47% stating they were solely visiting Glasgow.
Scotland's spectacular scenery, castles, distilleries, lochs and golf courses are located on the city's doorstep, with many visitors choosing Glasgow as a base from which to discover the whole of Scotland.
Glasgow's friendly, warm and welcoming people was stated as a highlight by many visitors, reinforcing the city's brand People Make Glasgow.
If you're a Glasgow business, you may be interested in attending one of the Glasgow Welcomes courses, which supports the city's tourism and hospitality workers to access customer service training, enhancing the reputation of the industry and helping to inspire repeat visits.
Social media and word of mouth: getting the word out
In January 2014, numerous world-leading publications, travel guides and websites, such as The Guardian, Rough Guides, and Jetsetter, named Glasgow as a must visit destination in 2014. And in the coming weeks and months, the global spotlight will be on Glasgow like never before when an audience of more than two billion people – nearly a third of the world's population - will focus its attention on the city for the Commonwealth Games and the MTV European Music Awards, providing an unprecedented opportunity to showcase Glasgow to the world.
Glasgow's insights highlight just how important and widespread the use of social media channels for sharing and recommendations amongst visitors is. It is fundamental for tourism and hospitality businesses to be monitoring their presence on these channels, maximising opportunities for increased communication and engagement with visitors and customers in the digital sphere.
Find more useful Glasgow visitor facts and figures to help you prepare your business for 2014 visitors, download the People Make Glasgow Insights document or visit the People Make Glasgow website for further information.
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