100,000 visitors flock to Dundee in first three weeks of V&A museum

● One in three through the doors have come from outwith Scotland

Dundee’s V&A museum has notched up 100,000 visitors in just over three weeks since it opened its doors to the public.

The waterfront attraction is already a fifth of the way towards meeting its first-year target of half a million visitors.

More than 27,000 people visited the attraction in its first week alone, while a further 26,000 people attended a free two-day festival that was staged at the city’s new Slessor Gardens to celebrate the opening of the museum.

Tourism chiefs say V&A Dundee has already “cemented” a reputation as one of the UK’S most exciting new attractions and heralded the dawn of an “unmissable new era” for the local industry.

One in three visitors to V&A Dundee are believed to have been from outwith Scotland, with around a third from within the Tayside area.

It is hoped that V&A Dundee, which took three-and-a-half years to complete, will generate at least £11.6 million for the economy each year, based on annual visitor numbers of 350,000, after the level of interest from its opening eases.

City council chiefs said the “absolutely amazing” numbers of visitors to V&A Dundee

0 Sheila Harkness with Sharron, Kirsty and James Mcallister visit the Dundee attraction

illustrated the huge impact the project would have on the city, with the new museum already having a spin-off effect on other attractions in the city.

V&A Dundee director Philip Long said: “I’m very proud and delightedthatinjustoverthree weeks 100,000 people have already visited the museum. The feedback we’ve 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 MALCOLM ROUGHEAD Visitscotland chief executive

well as the wonderful building designed by our architect Kengo Kuma and enjoying all it offers.”

Visitscotland chief executive Malcolm Roughead said: “V&A Dundee has cemented its reputation as one of the UK’S most exciting new attractions, welcoming a staggering 100,000 visitors in under a month. This is a fantastic achievement for the museum, its staff and also the city and surrounding areas.

“The arrival of such an iconic attraction heralds an unmissable new era for tourism in Dundee, propelling the east of Scotland into the global spotlight and shining a light on all this incredible corner of the country has to offer.”

Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said: “I’m over the moon with the visitor figures and they illustrate the huge and positive impact that Dundee’s newest asset will have on the city.

“We need to work with our businesses and communities to ensure the benefits of this footfall are felt far and wide.”

“V&A Dundee has cemented its reputation as one of the UK’S most exciting new attractions, welcoming a staggering 100,000 visitors in under a month”