National Geographic names Dundee one of the world's 'must-see destinations'

The travel bible National Geographic has rated Dundee alongside Antarctica, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Indonesia in a list of the world's "must-see" destinations for next year.
Dundee's new V&A museum attracted more than 250,000 visitors in its first two months.Dundee's new V&A museum attracted more than 250,000 visitors in its first two months.
Dundee's new V&A museum attracted more than 250,000 visitors in its first two months.

Dundonians are said to have developed "a new kind of swagger" thanks to the opening of its V&A museum, which is hailed as "the crown jewel" of its £1 billion waterfront regeneration.

The city was rated number 15 in National Geographic's 2019 "Cool List," which it says are the destinations set to "hit the headlines" next year.

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Other locations to make the top 19 included Oslo, Guyana, Bhutan, Corsica, Eritrea and Uganda.

More than 250,000 visitors flocked to V&A Dundee in the space of just months after it opened its doors in September.

An article posted on the National Geographic Traveler website says the £80 million museum has led to the opening of a string of new restaurants, bars and even a railway station.

The neighbouring attraction to the design museum, the Dundee-built Antarctic exploration vessel Discovery, has also been singled out for praise.

Pat Riddell, editor of National Geographic Traveler said: "Our team of editors, writers and industry experts have compiled the 19 destinations set to hit the headlines, with key openings, new routes and rising-star destinations firmly in the spotlight."

The Wall Street Journal, Lonely Planet and Bloomberg had already rated Dundee one of the world's coolest cities even before the V&A museum opened its doors.

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Caroline Warburton, regional director of VisitScotland, said: “To be named on this list marks another incredible accolade for the city in what has been an unforgettable year for Dundee. It was the year that the world learn what we have always known - Dundee is a must-visit destination, representing the very best of contemporary Scotland.

"Buoyed by this excellent news we look forward to continuing to work closely with the industry to capitalise on the global interest in the city, encouraging visitors to stay longer and discover Dundee’s world-class tourism offering.”

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Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said: "This is another piece of prestigious global recognition for our city.

"We are delighted at the number of visitors V&A Dundee has received in such a short time and they are seeing for themselves that Dundee has so much to offer.

"The city itself still face many challenges and we are determined that V&A Dundee can help create new jobs and opportunities."