Glasgow is the biggest city in Scotland and is also the commercial capital. It is home to beautiful architecture and a wealth of attractions, making Glasgow a popular tourist destination. Glasgow is home to over 4 million tourists a year and this influx of tourism creates employment for over 55,000 people in Glasgow.
In 1999 Glasgow won the prestigious title of UK city of Architecture and Design. Events and Exhibitions were held all year long generating Glasgow an estimated £34 million revenue boost, which helped fund the city's regeneration projects. Glasgow retains its popular art scene and is a cultural hub for art, literature and theatre. Glasgow is home to Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
The jobs market in Glasgow used to be mainly engineering and shipbuilding but now the jobs available are quite varied. Glasgow's industry base supports 420,000 jobs in the city and is strongly centred on the public services and finance sectors as well as education, Glasgow has a new International Finance Service District which brings in a lot of new businesses and job vacancies to the city. Almost 50% of those employed in Glasgow commute into the city this may be in part due to the excellent rail, road and air connections the city boasts. Glasgow is also a fast growing conference destination.
Glasgow's shopping district is one of the best in the UK and is the UK's second largest centre for shopping. There are many hotels, restaurants and bars to complement the vast shopping that can be found at the heart of Glasgow.
Famous Glaswegians include Sir Alan Ferguson and Billy Connolly, with bands coming from Glasgow including Primal Scream, Glasvegas, Travis and the Fratellis.
The University of Glasgow is a large research led University and is the fourth oldest in the English-speaking world. Founded in 1451 it houses a student population of 45,000.