Businesses across Tayside and Fife are set to reap the reward of Dundee’s emergence as a global tourist hub, according to industry experts.
Hundreds of small business owners, tourism specialists and hospitality industry insiders converged at the Waterfront on Friday morning for a conference hosted by the country’s tourism body Visit Scotland.
Entrepreneurs from Perth, Angus and Fife attended the networking event, to discuss how to take full advantage of the expected economic boom the opening of the V&A will have in September.
An expected 500,000 visitors are set to grace the city in the museum’s opening year and local business owners from outside the city limits are being encouraged to get on board.
Christina Roberts runs R&R boutique and breakfast in the Angus village of Newbigging.
She said more networking events like the one held in Dundee on Friday would be of benefit to all SMEs (small and medium enterprises) looking to take advantage.
“The whole event was incredibly useful, we were encouraged to think outside the box and question how visitors to Dundee could be encouraged to travel slightly further afield,” she said.
“The V&A, although it is in Dundee, is going to be a massive benefit to Angus.
“We have such great local produce and Angus is ‘Scotland’s birthplace’, so it will be good to be able to show this off to a wider audience once the V&A opens.
“I am not, personally, from a hospitality background and my husband is a retired Royal Marine, so coming to this conference has been very useful in terms of networking potential.
“Collaboration between businesses is going to be very important.”
Piotr Gudan is the owner of Outdoor Explore, based in Perth and Alyth.
Piotr said Dundee’s “unique quality” was how easy it was to find true wilderness and adventure no more than 20 minutes drive from the bustling city.
He said: “This area has the potential to be a tourist hot-spot already, but with the V&A on the way, there is going to be a much larger market for the entire area.
“We specialise in taking families and small groups out kayaking, hill-walking and other adventure pursuits.
“Dundee is unique in that it is a city with such easy access to the outdoors, there is so much nearby.
“There is the chance for businesses in all of the surrounding areas to expose themselves to a much larger number of people than we have done previously.”
Malcolm Roughead, Visit Scotland chief executive, said: “Friday’s successful event was a chance for the industry to regroup and make sure they are ready for what promises to be one of the most exciting moments in tourism history.
“I’ve been hugely impressed with the level of enthusiasm, commitment and passion demonstrated by the sector. There is a real sense of excitement and anticipation within the region which is wonderful to see.
“Tourism is more than a holiday experience, it creates jobs and sustains communities.
“The east of Scotland possesses many of the assets that make Scotland so special, I look forward to even more visitors enjoying what it has to offer in 2018 and beyond.”
