Angus attractions surf the V&A wave

Tourist numbers soar in area since opening of Dundee museum

The Angus tourism industry is basking in the promised V&A effect with visitor numbers to some attractions increasing dramatically.

Centres throughout Angus, from Kirriemuir to Montrose, reported rises of up to nearly 30%, between 2017 and 2018, when the V&A opened.

Arbroath Abbey saw a rise of 18%, while House of Dun, Barry Mill and JM Barrie’s Birthplace figures rose by 29%, 14% and 4%, respectively. By contrast, Scotland as a whole rose only 0.1%. The figures were released yesterday by the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA).

Gordon Morrison, chief executive of ASVA, said: “Although full-year figures for V&A Dundee will not be available until later in 2019, we already have an idea of the impact this world-class attraction has had in Dundee since opening. The outlook for the attractions sector in the city and surrounding area looks to be extremely rosy going forward.”

Visitors are flooding to see the waterfront’s iconic RRS Discovery ship following the opening of the V&A museum next door, new statistics reveal.

Some 42% more visitors visited Discovery Point in 2018 compared to 2017, with the V&A opening six months ago.

Last year a total of 64,627 people paid to enter the Discovery attraction, which tells the incredible tale of Captain Scott’s journey to Antarctica on board the Dundee-built ship in 1901.

This is up from 45,451 the previous year, according to the latest figures from the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA).

Arbroath Abbey saw a rise of 18%, while figures for the National Trust for Scotland’s House of Dun, Barry Mill and JM Barrie’s Birthplace rose by 29%, 14% and 4%, respectively. Dundee’s jute museum, Verdant Works, also posted an increase in visitors, up from 16,477 to 19,993 over the same period.

Paul Jennings, executive director of Dundee Heritage Trust, which runs both Verdant Works and the RRS Discovery, said the organisation had been gearing up for the V&A’S opening for years.

He said: “Our growth in 2018 follows three years of preparation in the run-up to the opening of V&A Dundee.

“Over that time the trust has overhauled its branding and wider marketing approach and invested over £1 million in preparing RRS Discovery and Discovery Point.

“It is great to see Dundee’s heritage receiving such positive feedback, with visitors loving the contrast between museums.”

Gordon Morrison, chief executive of ASVA said: “Although full-year figures for V&A Dundee will not be available until later in 2019, we already have an idea of the impact this worldclass attraction has had in Dundee since opening.

“The outlook for the attractions sector in the city and surrounding area looks to be extremely rosy going forward.”

ASVA, which represents the interests of the key visitor attractions sector in Scotland, has hundreds of members including some of the country’s most popular and iconic castles, galleries, museums, parks, gardens and leisure attractions.

Edinburgh continued to dominate the marketplace in the new figures, with 10 of the top 20 attractions located in the city.

Overall in Scotland, 30,262,245 visits were made to 232 of the organisation’s member sites, 0.1% up from the 2017 figures. The increase comes on top of a 9.7% rise in 2017, which itself followed a 6% rise in 2016.

The wind is in the sails of the tourism trade in Dundee and the surrounding region.

RRS Discovery, the magnificent vessel on whose image Dundee has traded for the past 30 years, has seen a huge boost in visitor numbers since V&A Dundee berthed alongside it at Craig Harbour in the autumn of last year.

In fact, new figures from the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) show there has been a strong ripple effect from the V&A opening, with attractions such as House of Dun near Montrose also enjoying an uplift.

It was always envisaged that Dundee and the surrounding region would receive a boost once the V&A – a prestige brand with international resonance – started welcoming visitors to its new Scottish home.

But it is heartening to see the expected uplift start to become a tangible reality.

Almost 20,000 extra visitors through the door of the Discovery Point – a 42% rise year-on-year – tells its own story about the immense pulling power of V&A Dundee and the economic opportunity it affords the region.

It is now up to the Asva-affiliated attractions and other tourist destinations locally to rise to the occasion.

They must demonstrate to the slew of new visitors that this region is worth returning to time and again.

That can only be achieved by investing in world class visitor experiences and through the consistent delivery of great hospitality and service to tourists.