Visitors to the V&A Dundee have been worth £21 million to the Dundee economy and £75 million to the overall Scottish economy in the 12 months after the site’s opening on 15th September 2018. Original estimates predicted the impact would be £10 million in Dundee and £23 million across Scotland.

The higher level of income for the region and wider nation can be directly attributed to the museum attracting 833,015 visitors, rather than the half a million initially anticipated.

The independent research was conducted by Ekosgen and Reference Economic Consultants and commissioned by V&A Dundee.

Further findings from the study suggest the influx of visitors and investment has supported the equivalent of 696 jobs in Dundee and 2,143 across Scotland. An estimated additional 370 jobs have been created in Dundee by the museum opening specifically. The construction of Kengo Kuma’s now iconic waterfront structure is also said to have contributed strongly to nationwide growth.

Crunching the numbers

Key figures from the study (covering 15th September 2018 to 14th September 2019):

  • Impact of £75 million gross valued added (GVA) and 2,143 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs supported across Scotland
  • Impact of £21 million GVA and 696 FTE jobs supported in Dundee
  • Net impact in Dundee of £10.9 million and 370 FTE jobs (new economic activity and employment that would not have been generated if V&A Dundee did not exist)
  • V&A Dundee visitors spent £32 million with other Dundee businesses in a year, including £16 million of new spending created by the museum
  • 34% of museum visitors were from Dundee and Tayside, 42% from the rest of Scotland, 14% from the rest of the UK and 10% from overseas
  • 31% of visitors (258,000) were staying away from home for at least one night
  • 79% of visitors were very likely or quite likely to visit again
  • 69% of visitors would not have visited other businesses in the city without V&A Dundee

“This new research shows very powerfully how V&A Dundee has had wide economic benefits, within our own city and across the whole country,” according to Philip Long, director of V&A Dundee.

“It demonstrates the value of investing in world-class cultural centres like V&A Dundee to boost tourism and create jobs, as well as the essential contribution the museum is making as a cultural institution promoting design creativity.”

Tourism in Dundee is now worth more than £10 million a month to the city, according to separate research commissioned by Dundee City Council. The first six months of 2019 alone saw a 19.4% boost to visitor numbers.

“V&A Dundee is a powerful symbol of Dundee’s new confidence and the strong future of design and innovation across our nation,” Scottish culture secretary Fiona Hyslop stated.

“The Scottish Government provided £38 million towards the construction of the building and committed extra funding to support its first ten years of activity. It has more than proved its cultural value and I welcome this report in highlighting the economic value of this flagship museum.”

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