STARK figures reveal the “devastating” impact of Covid-19 on Glasgow’s events industry.

Tourism contributed £744m – and 30,000 jobs – to the city economy in 2019 but has been hit hard by the pandemic.

Major events, such as Euro 2020 ties, Glasgow’s fireworks, the Christmas lights switch on and book festival Aye Write!, had to be cancelled or postponed – losing an estimated £26.7m.

A further hit came from the cancellation of gigs and festivals, with TRNSMT alone predicted to add more than £10m to the economy.

READ MORE: TRNSMT boss remains hopeful 2021 event will go ahead after Glastonbury axed due to Covid

Business conferences, which usually bring in £140m annually, contributed nothing in the first three quarters of 2020/21 – a year earlier that figure hit over £124m.

The figures are listed in a report by the council’s cultural and sporting arm, Glasgow Life, which states the organisation may never recover to pre-Covid income levels.

The charity, which runs 171 venues for the council, is facing a £20.3m deficit for this financial year. Some facilities may be mothballed while income remains low.

Phased reopening of 61 venues began in June but has been halted by the latest government restrictions.

Along with an extra 12 libraries set to reopen when restrictions allow, these facilities “cost more than all the income Glasgow Life expects to receive in the next financial year”.

Councillors will agree how much funding Glasgow Life should receive for 2021/22 at a budget meeting on February 28. The council has confirmed its ongoing financial support of the arms-length body in a letter.

A Glasgow Life spokesman said the charity and the council are exploring “ways of further reducing this shortfall” and are working together on budget proposals.

“Our current projection is income will not return to previous levels in the near future and so we don’t expect to be in a financial position in the coming year to re-open every venue we operate or restart every service we deliver.”

Venues are being maintained to “the full extent our income currently allows” but some could be mothballed, reducing maintenance schedules, while income remains depleted.

The spokesman said the charity and the council are working to identify “alternative delivery models” for some facilities.

Examples include leasing Petershill Sports Complex to the Partick Thistle Charitable Trust and creating a nursery at Scotland Street School.

“Further partnerships like these would see more venues and services resume,” the spokesman added.

The wide-ranging series of events postponed or cancelled due to the pandemic also included: the World Men’s Curling Championship, the World Pipe Band Championships, HSBC Let’s Ride, Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, the Murray Trophy Glasgow and the Great Scottish Run.

Some events have held online versions; Celtic Connections 2021 sold 1605 tickets for digital gigs within 24 hours of going on sale.

The spokesman said Glasgow Life is part of a national and local events recovery group. “We would expect events to have a significant role to play in the economic recovery of the city,” he added.

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said the impact on the events industry has been “devastating”, even “before taking the sectors which rely on such events coming to Glasgow into consideration”, such as hotels and hospitality.

“Many businesses are just hanging on and doing what they can to remain in place, with further support essential for their existence,” he added.

He called for a roadmap for the end of this crisis to set expectations on what stage the vaccination programme would begin to lower the risks to public health.

It should also outline how re-opening the economy might be tried and how long business support will remain, Mr Patrick added.

Staff whose pay is linked to Glasgow Life’s own income, and not the council’s service fee, have been able to go on furlough. Bosses agreed to pay 100% of all salaries for furloughed staff.

On November 30, the charity had claimed over £6.7m and 751 remained on the scheme.