Description:
The Commonwealth Games will come to Glasgow in 2014.
The announcement was made in November 2007 to huge excitement
around the city and beyond. In the Clyde Waterfront area several
major projects will contribute to the success of the games.
The new National Arena is a
12,500 seater arena at SECC. Approval for this project to go ahead
was given earlier in the year. The opening date for the £62m arena
is projected to be 2009.
The Games are expected to act as a catalyst for investment
and regeneration, and spark a massive influx of visitors. Glasgow
has an ambitious new Tourism Strategy to increase tourism revenue
by 60% by 2016, and the Games are expected go a long way towards
helping achieve that. Around 100,000 additional visitors to
the city in the three years following the Games. New hotel projects along the
waterfront are an essential element in accommodating this
growth.
In addition, vital transport projects are in place to improve
city centre travel. Clyde Fastlink will provide a
tram-like experience between the City centre, SECC and Glasgow
Harbour, with buses that travel in dedicated lanes. The Crossrail project is set to improve
links into the city.
It is anticipated that the net economic benefit to Glasgow will
be £26 million, while the benefit to Scotland will be £81
million. In the three years following the Games, there could
be a net increase of 4% in tourism, which equates to approximately
£30 million in additional expenditure.
The news that Glasgow had won the right to host the Games was
announced in November 2007