Dundee needs 500 new hotel rooms to accommodate the influx of visitors expected to flood the city when the V&A museum opens, officials say.
City development director Mike Galloway told The Courier his staff had “thrown down the gauntlet” to property investors and hotel operators, saying he expects a £100 million a year boost for the city’s economy when construction of the waterfront centrepiece is completed in 2015.
Research commissioned by the city council suggests the amount spent on hotel stays, in shops and bars and at visitor attractions in the city will rise by at least 50% to around £300m a year after the V&A at Dundee opens its doors.
Mr Galloway said the hundreds of thousands of tourists expected to flock to the attraction meant the city could require as many as five new hotels, on top of those which already exist, and the planned Malmaison, Custom House and railway station sites creating hundreds of jobs.
He wants to ensure a range of options “to suit all pockets” within walking distance of the central waterfront area.
Mr Galloway also revealed a string of bidders for the new £14m railway station hotel and two operators interested in running a proposed marina at City Quay.See the full story in our business section.