ATTRACTIONS


Construction work on V&A Dundee to start in August


Work on the new V&A museum planned for Dundee, Scotland is expected to start in August this year, following the award of a £9.2m Heritage Lottery Fund grant. Te Scottish Government has already pledged £15m to the project and further sources of funding are being explored. Te £45m project, featuring a distinctive


bow-shaped design jutting into the River Tay, is to be built on the site of the city’s for- mer Olympia swimming pool as an anchor for Dundee’s £1bn Waterfront regeneration scheme. Opening is scheduled for early 2017. V&A at Dundee – designed by Japanese


architects Kengo Kuma & Associates in part- nership with Scottish practice Cre8architecture – will have more than 1,700sq m (18,300sq ſt) of flexible gallery space, with one of the largest dedicated museum-standard exhibition spaces in Scotland. Details: http://lei.sr?a=N8M3v


Domestic numbers low for UK attractions


Despite booming visitor numbers from abroad for the UK’s top attractions, a recent YouGov survey has revealed that the majority of adults in Britain have not visited the country’s top attractions with one in six respondents stat- ing they had not visited any major UK attractions. Te survey, commissioned


by UK holiday operator Sykes Cottages, sampled 2,105 adults and revealed that just 35 per cent of survey respon- dents had visited Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Meanwhile, only 38 per


cent of people living in the UK have visited Buckingham Palace in the nation’s capital. Only 21 per cent have made the journey to


UK residents were the Royal Armouries – National Museum of Arms and Armour in Leeds (9 per cent) and Durham Cathedral in County Durham (16 per cent).


Redevelopment costs have increased by £5m


Imperial War Museum London to close until July


London’s Imperial War Museum has closed to visitors until July 2014 aſter ongoing building work unexpectedly revealed major infrastructure issues. Te museum reopened in July last year


aſter being closed in the first half of 2013 for a full-scale refurbishment, but after work commenced on the infrastructure of the building, it was discovered a number of systems – including electrics, air condition- ing and media cabling – needed a substantial upgrade. The initial redevelopment costs were


budgeted at £35m, but that has now been increased to £40m. “We continue to actively fundraise and


have now secured £36.7m,” said a spokes- person for the museum. “Te project is fully affordable and we are confident that we will raise the remaining £3.3m from our sponsors.” Te museum will reopen in July – one


month before the official start of the First World War centenary commemorations.


12 Buckingham Palace is the number one destination for overseas tourists Te top five list of attractions and the per


Hadrian’s Wall in Cumbria and just 20 per cent had travelled to Caernarfon Castle in Wales. The major attractions least visited by


centage of UK adults who have visited them is: • Buckingham Palace (38 per cent) • Edinburgh Castle (38 per cent) • Stonehenge (35 per cent) • Te National Gallery in London (33 per cent) • Roman Baths in Bath (29 per cent) • Eden Project (21 per cent) Details: http://lei.sr?a=M4e7R


Merlin unveils Angry Birds 4D attraction plans


Merlin Entertainments has today announced a major new deal to create the world’s first Angry Birds 4D theme park experience. The creative partnership with the


developer of the mobile app phenom- enon, Finnish Rovio Entertainment, will see a 4,000sq m (43,000sq ſt) fully- themed Angry Birds area open at the UK’s Torpe Park in May 2014. Work is already underway on the


new attraction, which will be centred around the 4D experience and is set to include an exclusive 10-minute Angry Birds animated film, developed jointly by Rovio and top 4D animators 3DBA. Second only to Disney as the world’s larg-


A 10-minute film will be the highlight of the attraction


est visitor attraction operator, Merlin will use its experience operating Legoland – as well as the soon to be opened CBeebies Land at Alton Towers – to harness the potential of the tie-up with the lucrative intellectual property. With more than two billion downloads of its


original phone app, nine spin-off games and a 2016 feature film in the pipeline, Angry Birds is a franchise with huge potential for integration. A spokesperson for Merlin said discussions


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


are also underway over potential future collabo- rations. “It’s essential for us that we find partners with the right fit for our own brand,” she said. “With their company outlooks and similar tar- get audiences, Torpe Park and Angry Birds are definitely a good match for Merlin.” Mark Fisher, chief development officer for


Merlin, added: “We see this as a long-term strategic partnership with great benefits to both parties. Torpe Park Resort is ideal for Angry Birds 4D.”Details: http://lei.sr?a=N8V8X


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2014


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