Management from some of the country’s leading tourist attractions have visited Dundee to see how the city has been transformed by the opening of the V&A.
The £80 million museum hosted the annual meeting of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, a group that counts the British Museum, Eden Project, Houses of Parliament and Shakespeare’s Globe among its members.
Their visit also coincided with the Dundee Design Festival 2019 and the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design and Architecture Degree Show.
Since opening in September 2018 V&A Dundee has exceeded its visitor estimates, welcoming 500,000 visitors in just over six month – double the pre-opening estimate.
Dundee is also experiencing a tourism boost linked to the opening of V&A Dundee, with the industry bringing in a record £187 million to the city’s economy last year.
V&A Dundee has also been nominated for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2019, the world’s most prestigious museum prize, less than a year after opening.
Bernard Donoghue, director of ALVA, said: “We are delighted to be bringing our UK tourism leaders’ summit to Dundee to see for ourselves how V&A Dundee and the huge investment in culture, design and place has made Dundee the city to visit.
“We are discussing everything from Brexit to community cohesion and are very grateful to our V&A Dundee hosts for hosting us at their inspirational new museum.”
Philip Long, director of V&A Dundee, said: “Dundee is enjoying a remarkable and well-deserved tourism boost, driven by many years of hard work across city partners and the new international attention V&A Dundee has brought.
“We are delighted to welcome leaders from some of the UK’s most successful tourism attractions to Dundee, to enjoy everything the city and wider region has to offer.”
Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said: “This visit from prominent attraction representatives is an excellent opportunity to showcase our city and learn from those with years of experience in the visitor sector.
“Local partners are determined to build on the momentum following the opening of V&A Dundee and continue to attract more and more people to our city.
“This will help us to create more opportunities in our drive to make Dundee a better city for everyone.”
As well as the visit from ALVA, the Dundee and Angus Convention Bureau has been hosting a conference on business tourism in Slessor Gardens.
The event has taken place in a 20-metre tall inflatable hall call the “Evolution Dome”.
