The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
V&A Dundee attracts 100,000th visitor.
Visitor attraction has only been open for three weeks
V&A Dundee welcomed its 100,000th visitor yesterday, just three weeks after it opened its doors to the public.
The £80 million waterfront museum, designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is expected to receive 500,000 visitors in its first year.
Council leader John Alexander said Dundee must work hard to ensure it can capitalise on the V&A’s success and the huge number of visitors it is expected to bring to the city in the future.
Sheila Harkness from Monifieth was the 100,000th person to visit the museum and was joined by her daughter Sharron McAllister and grandchildren James, 10, and Kirsty, 8, from Dunfermline.
They arrived at the museum at 11.17am and were given a one-year V&A Dundee Family and Friends membership, a Kengo Kuma print and Living Room for the City book and bag to celebrate the occasion.
Philip Long, director of V&A Dundee, said: “I’m very proud and delighted that in just over three weeks 100,000 people have already visited the museum.
“The feedback we have received from visitors has been fantastic and means so much to all of the team here at V&A Dundee.
“It’s been a joy to see people enjoying the galleries, exhibitions and learning activities as well as exploring the wonderful building designed by our architect Kengo Kuma and enjoying all it offers.
“We are very much looking forward to welcoming even more visitors to Scotland’s first design museum.”
V&A Dundee is expected to welcome around 500,000 visitors in its first year and around 350,000 people annually thereafter.
Mr Alexander said: “I’m over the moon with the visitor figures for the V&A’s opening month and they illustrate the huge and positive impact that Dundee’s newest asset will have on the city. Of course, within this figure will be a large cross-section of the city as well as visitors to Dundee and I’ve spoken to so many Dundonians who are proud of what has been achieved so far. It is absolutely amazing.”
Last week the waterfront restaurant Brassica closed after staff walked out over unpaid wages and Mr Alexander said the challenge now is to ensure the pull of the V&A benefits other businesses and attractions in the city.
Although located in a prime site in the former City Arcades, staff at the restaurant said it had not received the customer numbers hoped for.
Mr Alexander said: “V&A Dundee are well on their way to achieving the projected visitor numbers and we need to work with our businesses and communities to ensure that the benefits of this footfall are felt far and wide.
“We’ve already heard from other attractions that numbers are up significantly and I’m hopeful that more jobs and investment will come as a result.
“We’re committed to making Dundee a destination, working with our partners such as the DCA, McManus, the Science Centre and RRS Discovery.
“The city and the region have so much to offer, there’s not many places that can boast an international design museum, dolphins, historic castles, long sandy beaches, rolling hills and acclaimed golf courses. We need to make sure all of this delivers for the city.
“I’m hoping that we smash the 500,000 figure too and time will tell.”
V&A Dundee officially opened on Saturday September 15 and welcomed more than 27,000 people during the first week.
V&A Dundee is free to enter and open daily from 10am to 5pm.
We’ve already heard from other attractions that numbers are up significantly
As if it wasn’t obvious from the queues that have snaked round the waterfront over the past few weeks, we have official confirmation that Dundee’s V&A is incredibly popular. The museum has attracted more than 100,000 visitors in a little more than three weeks. That’s something when you consider the target is 500,000 visitors in its first year. Council leader John Alexander is correct, however, to say it is not a panacea. The V&A is magnificent but Dundee must not rest on its laurels.