“Surprise cultural contender” Dundee has been named in yet another tourism hot-list.
Secret Escapes, a members-only British travel company, has named the city in a list of ‘new destinations to watch’ in 2018, alongside Akureyri in northern Iceland, Bristol, La Paz in Bolivia and The Seychellles islands.
The company states: “Something of a surprise contender, Dundee tends to be overlooked by travellers flocking to Edinburgh’s historic charms – but the UK’s only UNESCO City of Design is having a bit of a moment in 2018.
“The V&A Dundee may have something to do with it, with the first V&A outpost outside London set to open on the city’s waterfront in September.
“As is fitting for Scotland’s first design museum, the architecture is incredible – a sleek building that evokes a ship’s prow jutting over the water.
“Inside, the Scottish Design Galleries showcases more than 300 iconic objects, from an Eduardo Paolozzi elephant to Charles Rennie Mackintosh works and a dress by fashion designer Holly Fulton.
“Elsewhere, there’s the Dundee Contemporary Arts Museum and the Dundee Rep Theatre – home to the Scottish Dance Company.
“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg: the $1.3 billion revitalisation project includes a new train station, art installations, an urban beach and a recently-opened city-centre park hosting summer concerts.”
The company specialises in selling heavily discounted luxury hotel stays and trips to its members and has close to four million followers on Facebook.
Also included in its list are Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Leeuwarden in The Netherlands, Valletta in Malta, Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Tbilisi in Georgia.
Lynne Short, Dundee City Council’s city development convener, said the city will not disappoint the expected influx of visitors.
She said: “Those of us who live, work and visit here already know what a hidden gem Dundee is.
“The opening in September and all the excitement that the progress of the V&A has gathered has now given us a world wide platform and I am sure Dundee will not disappoint when it is visited by a wider audience in the years to come.”
The next phase of the £1 billion regeneration of the city’s waterfront may see an urban beach created after ambitious plans were lodged with the council.
Featured sand-dunes as well as pine trees, it would stretch from the eastern side of the new museum towards the Tay Road Bridge.
It comes after it was revealed that a new Marriott Hotel would be built opposite the V&A museum on site six.