Council and tourist board chiefs hit back last week after Dundee was branded one of the country’s top three “No Entry” cities.
Dundee was viewed as “unexciting” by many in a controversial new survey, with only Bradford and Wakefield surpassing its position in the poll as an undesirable holiday destination.
A survey of 5000 Britons conducted by Travelodge asked which places they would and would not like to visit and why.
The results showed that 72% of people consider the City of Discovery to be “unexciting” and a quarter said they would avoid the city because of its reputation of having bad weather throughout the year.
Councillor Will Dawson, convener of city development for Dundee council, said the city has “charm” and the people are some of the “friendliest” in the country.
“The charm of Dundee lies in the sum of its parts: its tremendous geographical location, its growing cultural quarter, its many tourist attractions and last, but not least, its people, who the Lonely Planet have described as among the friendliest and most entertaining people you’ll meet.”£70 million tourism industryDundee’s tourism industry is critical to the success of the city, with around £70 million being contributed to the area’s economy every year.
VisitScotland disputed the conclusions drawn from the survey and said the 500,000 visitors who make their way to Dundee each year would “heartily disagree.”
“It is culturally vibrant and home to the likes of the five-star Discovery Centre, Scottish Dance Theatre, Dundee Rep, plus a buzzing restaurant and shopping scene and a young and lively vibe, ” a spokeswoman said.
“A quick look at our latest campaign website will confirm that Dundee is a must-visit, must-return destination. The survey should be taken with a hefty pinch of salt.”
Councillor Tom Ferguson said he viewed the research as a “challenge.”
“I’m yet to be convinced on those results, ” he said.
Dundee has previously been named Scotland’s sunniest and warmest city by the Met Office.
The most popular places to visit in the UK included Edinburgh in fourth position, with London, Birmingham and Manchester taking the top three spots.