Glasgow rated second most 'unfriendly' city in the UK

SCOTLAND'S biggest city has gone to great lengths to throw off its reputation for mean streets but, it seems, Glasgow still has some way to go.

Despite a soaring tourist trade and status as a Commonwealth Games host city, Glasgow has been ranked the second most unwelcoming city in the UK.

A survey ranked it second to London for its unwelcoming residents, from customer service to giving up seats on buses. Bradford rounded out the top three.

Aberdeen came seventh in the same list, while Edinburgh did not rate as either welcoming or unwelcoming. Southampton, Norwich and Exeter were rated the most welcoming cities in the country.

Glaswegians were quick to hit back against the survey yesterday and said they could not recognise how anyone would describe their city as unwelcoming.

Mother Joan Morrison, 32, said most residents help each other, unless they look "mad".

She said: "We're very welcoming here. People are quite polite and friendly. Sometimes you might get American or Japanese tourists who think we are a bit brash but once they get used to us, they're fine."

Edyta Majewska, who moved to Glasgow from Poland four years ago, said she heard more "pleases and thank yous" in the city than on the Continent.

The 40-year-old English and contemporary arts student said: "People here are friendly. Not everybody, but I was surprised how people say 'sorry' and 'thanks' all the time. It's nice."

John Gilchrist, 73, also did not recognise the survey's claims that almost half of Glaswegians would walk by rather than help an elderly person.

He said: "There's no problem at all here. We are quite welcoming to tourists – they're money for the city. And where I stay in Shawlands, people would help someone cross the street. Maybe it's different in some areas. But I have never seen people ignoring the elderly."

Steven Giltinan, Glasgow-born and visiting from Ayrshire, said it might be down to history. "I don't know why people would say Glasgow is unwelcoming," he said. "Maybe people have a preconceived perception because of the city's history, but I think people are known here as hospitable. Our accent might also make people uneasy."

The survey results were released to mark the start of British Tourism Week, polling 4,000 adults across 30 cities.

Across the country, it found 55 per cent thought British politeness was worse than ever and one in ten even identified that they came across as a rude person.

Steve Cardownie, deputy leader of City of Edinburgh Council, said he could not understand why Glasgow would be ranked second, or why Edinburgh was not on the list.

He said: "Edinburgh has more experience with dealing with tourists, especially in August, so maybe we are less likely to be impatient. There will always be people in cities who keep themselves to themselves, but I'm not sure you can put it down on a city-by-city list. Both Glasgow and Edinburgh are friendly."

COOLEST WELCOME

1......................................London

2...................................Glasgow

3..................................Bradford

4............................Birmingham

5.................................Liverpool

6.............................Manchester

7.................................Aberdeen

8......................Wolverhampton

9.....................................Belfast

10......................................Leeds