uk & ireland regions
Dundee has designs of grandeur
Dundee gets its moment in the spotlight this autumn with the opening of the UK’s first Victoria and Albert Museum outpost. Helen Ochyra explains
I
t took until 2018 for Dundee to even think about promoting itself, with VisitDundee being set up in
preparation for the opening of the V&A in the city and the buzz that the new museum will create. VisitDundee’s chairman, Paul Jennings, is eagerly preparing to capitalise on this and show off the city’s other attractions to the world. “The new V&A museum creates so much exposure but there are plenty of other things to come and see. We just need to let the world know,” he says, adding that “Dundee is a city that likes to surprise people”. VisitDundee gets no public funding; instead local businesses are pooling their resources, such is the hope that the new attraction is bringing.
The big day is on September 15, when the doors open on the first V&A outside London. “I often say the city chose the V&A, not the other way around,” says Philip Long, director of V&A Dundee.
RockStar North,
developer of the Grand Theft Auto video game series, is based in Dundee
“Our focus is the impact design has on everyone. Our building, by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, will hold exhibitions
developed by our team here in Dundee, in partnership with our colleagues in South Kensington and with other institutions from around the world. It will also be home to our permanent galleries, telling the largely unknown international story of Scottish design.” The V&A is Scotland’s first design museum and it is set to bring a whole new type of visitor to the city. “It will significantly expand our market opportunities,” says Jennings. “We are a small city, with a population of less than 150,000 people, but we are developing a reputation for punching above our weight.”
A great touring hub Dundee is indeed a small city, and an
easily walkable one, but its position on the banks of the River Tay on Scotland’s east coast also makes it a great hub for touring. There are dozens of golf courses within a short drive, the nearby Angus Glens are ideal for walking and fly-fishing, and just outside the city centre is Broughty Ferry, home to a castle and a lengthy beach. “Tayside compares with any other region in Britain,” says Jennings.
Scotland has an enviably positive reputation too. “We have to sell that Dundee is a Scottish city,” says Jennings. “Any train journey in Scotland is a spectacular one and you soak up the experience of being in Scotland the moment you get on the train.
The Tay Bridge carries trains into Dundee
wtm.com
summer 2018 wtm insights 51
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