Seven reasons why 2015 was a great year for Scotland

It’s been a successful year for Scotland from tennis to tourism, culture to employment.

Picture: Andy Murray has had a successful 2016

Andy Murray ranked second in the world after successful 2015

As well as tying the knot with his long term girlfriend Kim Sears, 2015 saw Scots tennis star Andy Murray win titles around the world. A career highlight came when he secured a win against Belgium’s David Goffin at the Davis Cup in November. The win marked the first time Great Britain had taken the title since 1936 and brought him his highest ranking.



 Glasgow named as a ‘best of the world’ destination

Picture: Glasgow was highly rated in National Geographic

Glasgow was named as a must visit destination in 2016 by National Geographic. The global travel magazine selected Glasgow in its fifth annual ‘Best of the World’ list comprising must-see destinations around the globe. The list also featured other destinations in countries including Brazil, Greenland and Japan.


‘Outlander effect’ had fans flocking to Scotland

Fans of the TV show Outlander flocked to its Scottish locations this year, boosting visitor numbers in some places by 26 per cent. Preston Mill, the doocot in East Lothian which features as a backdrop in several scenes, Falkland, the Fife village which portrays Inverness in the first episode and Culloden, the historic Highlands battlefield which plays a key role in the books, were frequented by fans.



Scotland named the best country in Europe for LGBTI legal equality

Claire Randall, right, and Sam Heughan

The 2015 Rainbow Europe Index, compiled by ILGA-Europe, an international human rights association, named Scotland as the best country in Europe for LGBTI legal equality. The findings revealed that the country comes ahead of the rest of the UK and Europe in the legal protections it offers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.

The annual index measured progress in European countries on LGBTI equality against 48 criteria; including legal protections from discrimination in work and services, measures to tackle hate crime, rights and recognition for transgender and intersex people, and equality in family law including same-sex marriage and parenting rights.

Female employment hit record high

The gap between male and female employment rates in Scotland hit a record low. The report on ‘Maximising Economic Opportunities for Women in Scotland’, found that the gap between male and female employment rates had fallen and women-led businesses made an estimated contribution of £5 billion to the Scottish economy.

Scotland welcomed hundreds of refugees

Scotland has welcomed hundreds of refugees fleeing war this year. They have been resettled by half of Scotland’s councils over the last month. The refugees were brought in from camps in the Middle East after many of their homes were destroyed during war. Over 3000 Scots signed up to help on the Scotland Welcomes Refugees website with people around the country offering food and clothing to the new arrivals.

Glasgow hosted the Turner Prize

Glasgow played host to this year’s Turner Prize

Art lovers flocked to the Tramway to view the exhibition the prize of which was £25,000. Glasgow’s art school has turned out five Turner winners, with a sixth winner born in the city and a seventh raised in Glasgow. Nine Glasgow School of Art students have made the shortlist.