News

Eight local businesses shared the secrets of their success as part of a leading tourism conference, held on Thursday 15 March, in Dundee.

As Dundee & Angus prepares to embark on its most exciting year in recent history, the Showcase of Success event, part of the Dundee & Angus Tourism Conference, invited participating tourism providers to talk about the changes and innovations they have introduced to meet the needs of visitors and the impact this has had on their business.

This year sees the eagerly-anticipated opening of V&A Dundee and the return of the world’s biggest golfing competition, The Open at Carnoustie in July, with both events set to draw audiences from around the world.

The arrival of the first V&A museum outside of London, in exactly six months’ time, will showcase Scotland’s cultural offering, and provide a potential tourism boom for Dundee as well as the surrounding areas of Angus, Perthshire and Fife.

Meanwhile, Angus is set for its own tourism boost courtesy of media exposure generated by The Open Championship as millions of TV viewers across the world tune in to watch the Carnoustie-based competition.

Delivered by Dundee City Council, Angus Council, the Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce and VisitScotland, the Dundee & Angus Tourism Conference, took place at West Park Conference Centre, Dundee, and was designed to help ensure the local tourism industry is ready for an influx of visitors and prepared to work together to boost visitor numbers.

The businesses taking part in Showcase of Success include:

• Dark Dundee,
• The Gin Bothy,
• Glamis Castle,
• Maggie’s Penguin Parade,
• Behind the Scenes Cultural Tours,
• Pirate Boats,
• Newton Farm Holidays
• Run for the Sights.

Among those who spoke was Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, V&A Dundee Director Philip Long and Justin Reid from TripAdvisor.

Delegates also heard from Kiki MacDonald from Euan’s Guide and Marina DiDuca from VisitScotland about how business can ensure they offer an inclusive tourism experience so that everyone can enjoy the best the region has to offer. Figures show the UK accessible tourism market is valued at £1.3bn.

Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The highly anticipated opening of the new V&A museum, and return of The Open Championship to Carnoustie, means that 2018 already promises to be a major year for tourism across Dundee, Angus and the wider area.

“But there are also plenty of other exciting attractions available for visitors all year round, many of which were discussed at this Showcase of Success event. I look forward to seeing the results of what I’m sure will be an extremely busy and fun filled year for Dundee and Angus.”

Jim Clarkson, VisitScotland Regional Director, said: “We’re gearing up for what promises to be an exciting new era for tourism in the East of Scotland. Now is the perfect time to celebrate the successes of the tourism industry and look at what we can do in the future to capitalise on this opportunity.

“Tourism is an important part of the local economy, creating jobs and sustaining communities. There is real excitement and anticipation within the industry just now and we hope through this conference we can harness that enthusiasm and encourage businesses to pull together and make the most of this wonderful opportunity.”

For more information please visit: VisitScotland