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Deputy News Editor
Glasgow beat cities such as London, Singapore, and Rio de Janeiro for the prestigious title.
Glasgow has been declared the best city in the world for hosting events and festivals.
The World Travel Awards, an international jury of hospitality experts, gave the title of Europe’s Leading Festival and Event Destination 2019 to Glasgow at a ceremony in Oman. Glasgow defeated cities such as London, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, and previous winner Dubai.
World Travel Awards gave the city high praise for its many culture, music and sporting events that have been held in recent years.
David McDonald, deputy leader of Glasgow City Council said: “This is a huge accolade for the city and something we can all really celebrate.”
McDonald said that winning such a prestigious prize is a massive achievement, especially as it meant Glasgow beat much larger cities than itself. He also said not only have festivals and events added new colour and vibrancy to Glasgow, but they have also brought in hundreds of millions of pounds to widen the city economy.
“Our global reputation as a safe and welcoming host city continues to grow and this award confirms what we as locals have always known, Glasgow is a city that loves to celebrate,” McDonald said.
Sion Rapson, vice president of World Travel Awards, said: “The list of finalists hasn’t ever been as strong, and all would have been extremely worthy winners, so for Glasgow to emerge on top is a stellar achievement and one which cements the city’s positioning on the world map.”
A notable event mentioned was the Celtic Connections music festival, which hosts 18 days of music, ceilidhs and screenings in venues across Glasgow. This year 2,000 artists from 25 countries took part in 300 events throughout the festival.
Glasgow was also declared as a top five sporting city in the world, after hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the inaugural European Championships in 2018.
