Thousands more people have visited Perth Leisure Pool during the closure of Dundee’s Olympia centre.
The main swimming pools in Dundee have been shut since October 2021 after several issues were discovered with fixtures and fittings in the £33 million facility.
It is set to remain closed for repairs until late 2023.
Perth visitor numbers up
The Courier can now reveal how figures show visitor numbers are up at Perth Leisure Pool last year, compared with the three full years pre-Covid.
More than 303,000 people visited the centre between January and November 2022.
That is more than the full-year totals for each of 2017 (264,100), 2018 (289,187) and 2019 (279,507).
The 2022 summer months in particular were busier than normal for Perth Leisure Pool.
It followed a significant downturn in numbers in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic and then a prolonged closure due to flooding issues caused by storm damage.
Both councillors and officials have linked the upturn in numbers at Perth to the Olympia’s closure.
Olympia closure ‘main reason’
Councillor Steven Carr, who sits on the board of Live Active Leisure – which runs Perth Leisure Pool – told The Courier: “Figures are up and it’s probably no small thanks to Olympia in Dundee being shut.
“It’s probably the main reason, it seems people must be coming over from Dundee to swim.
“We think a lot of people have come over who previously wouldn’t have.
“We have a fantastic pool in Perth and people seem to be enjoying it going by the figures.
“Hopefully, even when the situation at the Olympia is sorted, people will still want to stay.”
Dundee-based Labour MSP Michael Marra says the ongoing Olympia closure means money is leaving the city.
Dundonians ‘spending their money elsewhere’
He said: “The impact of the Olympia closure on the local economy is an underexplored part of this dreadful story.
“Dundonians and people from outside the city travelling to Dundee were spending their money in Dundee and contributing to the local economy. Now that money is being spent elsewhere.
“There should be a proper reckoning of the economic impact of the closures.”
However, not all custom is being lost from Dundee.
Data obtained by The Courier also shows a rise in people using Lochee swimming pool – the other main public facility in the city.
Nearly 6,000 people visited the centre in August last year – double the number in the same month in 2019 – with higher numbers also recorded throughout the rest of 2022.
The Olympia attracted up to 45,000 visitors a month at its peak.
Calls for a public inquiry into the Olympia’s closure have been turned down – with city leaders keen to draw a line under the saga.
Perth bosses ‘delighted’ at rise in numbers
A spokesperson for Live Active Leisure said: “Perth Leisure Pool was closed for an extended period of time due to both Covid and flooding.
“Therefore, when we reopened in October 2021 we did see an increase in users, especially during holiday periods.
“Customers definitely missed Perth Leisure Pool while it was closed, and we are delighted to see that this is reflected in the recent visitor numbers.”
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