Any Dundonian can tell you what a friendly place the city is, but now it looks like other Scots are getting the message too.
A national survey has been carried out as part of a new marketing campaign that aims to increase the number of visitors coming to Dundee.
When asked to choose words they associated with the city, almost 70% opted for ‘friendly’, with almost as many said ‘historic’, while there were also high ratings for ‘progressive’ and ‘happy’.
Participants who had not visited Dundee in the previous 12 months were asked why.
Only 2% said it was because they did not like the city, with the most common answer being they had no particular reason to visit.
The latter view is one the marketing campaign aims to change and it will be targeting younger people from the central belt in particular.
Councillor Will Dawson, city development convener, said, “The survey results are really encouraging, but we still need to build a stronger reputation, especially in the central belt one which really matches the amazing changes that have taken place in Dundee over the last few years.Five castles”For example, in terms of the many attractions we have here, Edinburgh and Stirling are not the only cities that have castles in fact there are five in the Dundee area.
“Over 35% of the people asked in the survey had visited Dundee before, but not within the last year. Clearly this is an area that we have to improve on.”
Mr Dawson said this would be done by continually driving home the message Dundee is a modern city with vibrant entertainment, leisure and retail sectors in addition to its reputation as bustling centre of innovation.
The campaign will highlight Dundee’s reputation as a launch-pad for great talent, such as popular bands Snow Patrol and The View.
Asked what they felt Dundee’s key attributes were, the city’s two universities topped the list, closely followed by shopping and tourism opportunities in the area.
The waterfront, science, arts and culture and football were also mentioned.
Mr Dawson said, “With two world-class universities on our doorstep, it is not surprising that academia rates highly in Dundee’s public perception, but with the emergence of the V&A Dundee on the horizon and the city’s existing museum and venues, attracting strong cultural interest from elsewhere in Scotland is high on our agenda.”
Dundee is promoted under the One City, Many Discoveries banner in a campaign led by the city council and overseen by an advisory group of public and private sector partners.