Landmarks to attract more visitors to city

forward to working with many others to make sure it’s as successful as possible.”

Mr Munsie said the effects of regeneration were finally starting to be felt — with both the Discovery and Verdant Works enjoying “positive” visitor figures in 2017.

He added: “The huge amount of work that has been done in the city is now coming to fruition.

“It’s great to look at Dundee now as a city of design. The Verdant Works has also just won an award for the design and rejuvenation of the building.”

Elsewhere, Dundee’s reputation as a cruise-friendly city is on the up, following a successful year for Forth Ports and its Capital Cruising brand.

A total of 14 cruise ships anchored in Dundee this year — up from just two a decade ago and six in 2015.

Robert Mason, from Capital Cruising, said Dundee’s appeal to cruise ship companies would continue to grow.

He said: “If you look back a few years we would have had two calls to Dundee.

“In 2017, we had 14 — so it’s a huge amount of growth.

“Dundee is a good stop-over point, as we’ve got capability to take larger boats, which are the trend.

“There’s a lot that appeals about Dundee itself too – it’s a Unesco City of Design, it has the V&A and the American market has responded to the Wall Street Journal article calling it Scotland’s coolest city.

“You can also reach Angus, Perthshire and Aberdeenshire and get to Edinburgh in an hour — its connections are good and there’s a lot happening here.”

Mr Mason added that 12 ships were set to make port in Dundee in 2018 and he expects more bookings to be confirmed soon with operators.

He said there would be an increase in passenger numbers due to next year’s Open golf championship at Carnoustie, including three ships in a single day.

Jim Clarkson, Visit Scotland’s regional partnerships director, said: “This year has marked another important milestone in Dundee’s tourism transformation.

“As we move ever closer to the opening of the V&A, global interest in the city is increasing with the prestigious publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Condé Nast Traveler listing it as a top destination for 2018.

“In addition, year-on-year we are seeing more cruise ships coming to the region which is going to grow again in 2018 and beyond.

“Our visitor survey highlights that 40% of visitors come to Dundee and Angus to visit a particular attraction, which is far more than the Scotland national average and that is going to increase.”