Tourism
OVERVIEW
Dundee is emerging a one of the most vibrant cities in the country. It combines the best of contemporary culture, inspiring modern architecture and a rich historical heritage. With a spectacular waterfront setting which boasts a major port, blue flag beaches, rare wildlife habitats and a wealth of artistic and cultural attractions.
The £350million Dundee Waterfront redevelopment will reconnect the city and the river and will include a £47m project to see a new iconic Victoria and Albert Museum built on the River Tay (due to open in 2014), the development will also provide a number of sites for leisure and hotel opportunities.
Plus, on top of that, as Scotland’s sunniest and warmest city Dundee is an ideal tourist destination, with 808,000 tourists every year. Dundee's city centre airport offers direct flights to Belfast, Birmingham and London City. Edinburgh airport is only an hour away and there are regular rail services from London on the East Coast mainline.
Dundee is an ideal short break and conference destination offering an eclectic mix of accommodation from hostels to contemporary hotels, bars and restaurants and unique venues to five star visitor attractions.
The annual tourism spend in the city is £134million with 8.7% directly employed in the sector.
BUSINESS TOURISM
Business tourism is crucially important to the local economy of the Dundee and Angus area and is worth more than £48million per annum. It is estimated that conference delegates spend on average three times more than leisure tourists during their stay, factoring in costs including transport, accommodation and food and drink. Over 236 thousand delegates attended events, conferences and meetings throughout 2006 resulting in a direct expenditure of over £9 million.