NEW figures show the number of tourists visiting Glasgow soared last year boosting the city's economy by an extra £192million.

According to the government's Office for National Statistics and the Great Britain Tourism Survey the number of visitors to the city increased by 37% last year.

The figures mean Glasgow has overtaken Liverpool as the fifth most visited UK city by international tourists and ranks ahead of Oxford, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, York, Cardiff and Newcastle.

High-profile events including the Commonwealth Games, BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and the MTV European Music Awards, together with a number of major global conferences, helped attract more than 2.7 million international and domestic tourists to Glasgow in 2014, with visitors spending £687m - up 39% from £495m the previous year.

The ONS figures show international tourists made 622,000 trips to Glasgow in 2014, an increase of 21% on 2013, spending £245 million - up 32%.

The majority of international tourists to Glasgow last year travelled from Europe (59%) and North America (22%). European tourists spent £93m with North American visitors contributing £51m

Almost 20% of international visitors to Glasgow were from countries outwith Europe and North America, including China, India and Australia, spending £100 million.

International tourists stayed for 3,268,000 nights, averaging five nights per trip with half citing holidaying as the reason for their trip, while 28% visited friends and relatives and 18% were business travellers.

Meanwhile, data from the Great Britain Tourism Survey shows domestic visitors made more than 2.1 million trips to Glasgow last year, a huge 56% increase on the previous 12 months.

British visitors to Glasgow spent £442 million in 2014, more than double the tourism expenditure achieved in 2013. The city bucked the national trend as domestic tourism spend across Scotland fell by 0.6%.

City council leader Gordon Matheson said: "2014 was an incredible year for Glasgow. It was the most exciting and high-profile period in our history.

“Tourism is a crucial pillar of Glasgow’s economic strategy and these figures strongly reinforce our commitment to delivering a world-class visitor experience.

“A key legacy of 2014 is that our global profile has never been greater. We’re now firmly recognised as one of the world’s must-visit destinations while the overwhelming success of the Commonwealth Games has ensured that we’ve become a first-choice host for major international events and conferences."