It’s the home of Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and the National Theatre of Scotland, a former European Capital of Culture, and acknowledged as the UK’s top cultural and creative city by the European Commission in 2019. It’s a UNESCO City of Music (hello, #24 ranking for Nightlife and #44 for Theatres & Concerts). And it’s a machine for turning out Turner Prize winners. On top of that, tourism is bringing new audiences to enjoy it all. Almost 5 million overnight visitors stayed in Glasgow in 2024 – an increase of more than 20% over 2023 – contributing an economic impact of €2.11 billion. More than 430 conferences brought 140,000 delegates and €180 million to the economy over that time, aided by GLA, the city’s #21-ranked airport.
Glasgow is thriving economically, with productivity well above the UK average, according to Bloomberg. To fortify its ascent, Glasgow is working on “the biggest overhaul of the city centre in half a century,” designed to double downtown residents to 40,000 by 2035. This includes the conversion of the Met Tower into homes for professionals and a mixed-use redevelopment of a Marks & Spencer store for student housing that’ll make space for talent flocking to the city’s #10 ranked universities.