Glasgow City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Glasgow City - Essay Example Glasgow in itself is an old city and we trace its origin back in the 12th century  (Slack, 2004). The city has transformed itself from a poor city to a more beautiful city and as a tourist destination. Glasgow tourism strategy 2016 provides the city’s outline and ambitious plan for the decade long development of Scotland’s tourist industry. According to this strategy, the city expects 4 million visitors every year before 2016. This is in accordance with global projections which estimate a growth by 4% every year in the tourism sector. Economically, this would prove advantageous as the city will earn averagely  £ 1 billion every year. With all this projections it is now evident that the win for the bid is in line with its tourism strategy. This is because the event is likely to bring millions of people from all over the world to participate in the event in one way or the other. It is important to understand that a country with good tourist destination has high chance s of hosting some of the world’s major sporting events. It is argued that besides sporting, there is need to promote cultural interaction and economic development  (Tomlinson, 2005). Apart from gaining economically in sports, the host nation is also supposed to earn from tourism. This was one factor that ensured Glasgow city won the bid. The city hosted the 1988 Garden Festival and won the European City of Culture (ECoC) title in 1990  (Weiler, 2004). In addition to this the City also boasts of Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and a Gallery of modern art which was opened in 1996. The gallery of modern art now holds the title of UK City of Architecture and Design. All this fit in the city’s strategy and the games will only help in emphasizing more on cultural value and promote tourism. Glasgow city also boasts of hosting the UEFA Champions League Final in 2002 one of the most prestigious soccer event in the world   (Glanville, 2012). Moreover, the city collected their E uropean Capital of Sport title in 2003 something that made them host the UEFA Cup Final in 2007  (Woods, 2007).. Besides the good sporting reputation the tourism industry in the city has been rebranding itself. Major brands like ‘Glasgow Scotland with Style’ and ‘safe pair of hand’ have been key in ensuring that the country host major sporting and cultural events. Besides this, the long term strategies such as infrastructure investment, civic engagement and unwavering belief has helped the country to attract many tourists in the city. All these are important in ensuring that the country promotes its tourism industry and this fits with the strategy of Glasgow city.