The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Discovery Point sees boost from Schiphol link
Attraction records its highest ever proportion of foreign visitors
Discovery Point recorded its highest ever proportion of foreign visitors last month thanks to Dundee’s new air links with Amsterdam.
More than 8,000 people visited the centre in August, with more than a third of them – more than 3,000 people – coming from abroad.
The rise has been attributed to the successful introduction of direct flights between Amsterdam and Dundee.
The boost was announced as delegates from Dundee City Council and Dundee Heritage Trust visited the Dutch city as part of a Visit-Scotland delegation to bring more tourists from mainland Europe to Dundee.
Paul Jennings, executive director of Dundee Heritage Trust, said: “It is quite important for us. Obviously the direct route between Amsterdam and Dundee has been extremely helpful.
“In August, I think we had the highest number of international visitors coming to Discovery Point, which is really significant.”
Mr Jennings said he hopes the Visit-Scotland trip to Amsterdam will help secure more business from the £76 million Dutch tourism market for Dundee and the wider Tayside and Fife areas.
He said its current tourist attractions, the impending arrival of the V&A and such a “wide variety” of landscapes within a short distance of the city will make it increasingly attractive to international visitors.
Of the 8,000-plus visitors to Discovery Point in August, 24% came from the EU and 13% from countries outside the EU.
Those from overseas normally account for around fifth of visitors.
Verdant Works also experienced a boost in international visitor numbers, with 23% of its 2,000 visits coming from overseas tourists.
Yesterday’s event, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, saw representatives meet with key Dutch tourism companies.
Behind the USA, Germany and France, the Netherlands is Scotland’s fourth biggest overseas market, with the country welcoming 157,000 visitors last year.
The Netherlands has a number of direct air links to Scotland, including Flybe’s six-times-a-week service between Amsterdam and Dundee, which was launched in May and will go up to seven days a week in November.
Dundee City Council and Doubletree by Hilton (Dundee) are also taking part in the mission.