Glasgow is not filled with tourist tat shops, but it could be. Glasgow City Council has bowed to business leaders to form the Destination Marketing and Management Organisation, writes Herald columnist Marissa MacWhirter. But how will it sell the city?

There is no such thing as a good tourist, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be better tourists. Especially if you believe in the laws of karma, because there are dreams to crack Glasgow wide open and sell it to the world. And while I don’t exactly see Scotland’s largest city becoming an over touristed hellscape like the rest of Europe every summer, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t put safeguards in place.

Recently on a trip to Venice, one of Europe’s most over-touristed destinations, it was hard to look past the physical reality of a city buckling under the tidal wave of human bodies. The colourful buildings lining picturesque canals appeared to be held together by iron stiches like Frankenstein’s creature (they still made for perfect Tik Tok backdrops).

There are basic rules of etiquette that any holidaymaker should adhere to: learn some basic phrases in the local language, educate yourself about the place you are visiting and its culture, don’t get blackout drunk and holler football songs at the top of your lungs through the streets at ungodly hours, and spend your money at proper local businesses.

I tried my hardest to be a better tourist. My dad and I stayed in a quiet suburb, and we stayed for several days (unlike those dreaded day trippers). We could self-consciously blurt out Buongiorno, per favore, grazie mille, ciao. My dad, infatuated with the canal-side waste disposal boats, eagerly deposited whatever rubbish was kicking about the accommodation each morning after coffee. Very........

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