THE annual Celtic Connections music festival is now worth a huge £5.8million to Glasgow's economy.

THE annual Celtic Connections music festival is now worth a huge £5.8million to Glasgow's economy.

A new study has revealed the amount of money generated by the 19-day festival has almost doubled in the past six years.

More than 100,000 people attended the event this year, many of whom said they came to Glasgow specifically for the festival.

Organisers released the figures as they unveiled their line-up of entertainers for next year's festival.

It will be headlined by Canadian songstress k.d. lang, ex-Rolling Stone Bill Wyman and his band the Rhythm Kings and American country music rebel Steve Earle.

They will be joined on the bill by Glasgow-born guitarist Bert Jansch, singer Eddi Reader and bands includng Capercaillie, Teenage Fanclub and Moving Hearts.

Singers Kate Rusby and John Martyn, who both starred in last year's festival, will also be returning.

The economic impact survey showed there was a 30% increase on ticket sales this year and twice as many sell-out performances as 2006.

A total of £5.8m was generated for Glasgow alone, compared with £3m revealed by a similar survey in 2001.

The money generated by the festival for Scotland as a whole was put at £6.9m. The survey, carried out by Glasgow Grows Audiences with the help of a £15,000 grant from EventScotland, also revealed that: lFor every £1 of funding received from Glasgow City Council, Celtic Connections generated £31 for the city, compared with £17 in 2001.

l94% of visitors said they would like to return to the festival next year.

lOf those visitors from outside the Greater Glasgow area, 96% said Celtic Connections was their sole or main reason for visiting the city.

Celtic Connections Festival manager Jade Hewat said: "We are really delighted with the results of the survey.

"I think these figures say a lot about Glasgow's reputation as a city for great live music."

Scott Taylor, chief executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: "With more than 10,000 attendees from outside Scotland staying in Glasgow during a traditionally quieter month, the festival is a valuable top-up for the hotels, bars and restaurants across the city."