Glasgow ranks as ‘friendliest’ city worldwide
First-place finish for city in survey of popular travel site’s readers
GLASGOW has been named as the world’s friendliest destination in a public vote. The city saw off competition from the likes of Dublin, Budapest, Vancouver, Tokyo, Copenhagen and Melbourne to land the title.
The survey was conducted by travel firm Rough Guides, which polled its hundreds of thousands of followers on Facebook and Twitter.
It’s the second time Glasgow has been named the world’s friendliest city by Rough Guides readers, having also won the award in 2014.
Social media users were asked to vote for their favourite from a shortlist of 15 destinations.
Glasgow came ahead of runner-up Dublin and third-place Montreal, with Liverpool and Tokyo in fourth and fifth respectively.
The only other UK city to make the cut was Manchester, which came in ninth between Copenhagen and Melbourne.
The website’s travel guide for Scotland’s largest city reads: “Anthony Bourdain controversially characterised Glasgow as somewhere to go ‘for a beer and a beating’ in his TV show Parts Unknown.
“Bourdain poked good-natured fun at the city’s notoriety, where the drinking culture looms large and the language is colourful; it’s a rep that Glasgow has battled with for decades. However, Bourdain also represented its lesser-known highlights: its charms and culinary delights. This is the side of the city you need to discover.”
The TV chef’s comments came from a 2015 documentary for CNN.
Responding to criticism over the remarks, Bourdain said he “adores Glasgow”.
The city was also commended in a recent rundown of the world’s top cities.
Compiled by website Best Cities, the list for 2020 saw Glasgow jump from 118th to 96th place, ahead of Mexico City, Salt Lake City and Krakow.
The website entry reads: “Known as a working-class city with working-class values, Glasgow has made the Top 100 on the strength of those characteristics.
“Its high income equality (ranking #47) and low Unemployment (ranking #52) highlight its success in bringing everyone along for the ride as its reputation grows.
“In our nightlife subcategory (#41), the city roars to prominence at gritty venues like the Sub Club, where live shows dominate. Glasgow was designated the UK’s first Unesco City of Music in 2008, but the Covid-19 pandemic has presented an existential threat to many of its most popular venues.”
Earlier in 2020, the city’s Denniston area was named the eighth coolest neighbourhood in the world in Time Out magazine’s annual poll of the 40 top global hotspots.