Tourism’s £290m boost for city economy
13/06/24
Tourism contributed more than £290million to the Dundee economy last year, according to new research published today.
The annual Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) report showed that more people came to the city and spent more than in the previous year.
The economic impact of the sector in 2023 was also up 36% on 2019, the last full year before Covid and its devastating disruption to the economy.
Total annual visitors to Dundee have increased by 10% over the same period to 1.35million, including a 27% rise in people staying overnight.
Dundee’s Fair Work, Economic Growth and Infrastructure Convener, Councillor Steven Rome, said: “These figures are extremely encouraging, showing that the economic benefit of the sector has rebounded since the pandemic and is growing year-on-year.
“It’s great to see so many people discovering they can do it all in Dundee, and in particular staying overnight as that has been a key focus.
“We know there are still challenges for some operators in the sector, but the city is working hard to attract people to spend time and money in our city.
“That includes hosting events such as the hugely successful Radio 1’s Big Weekend which was held at Camperdown Park last year, and the fantastic Tartan exhibition at V&A Dundee.”
The STEAM report showed that around half of the economic impact was in the accommodation and food and drink sectors, with retail, recreation and transport also benefiting.
Direct employment in the tourism sector increased by 6.3%, from 2502 posts in 2019 to 2659 last year.
“This research shows how important a contributor tourism and the visitor economy is to our shared vision for a strong, smart and sustainable local economy with jobs and opportunities for all,” continued Councillor Rome.
“Dundee is a great place to visit, whether for business or pleasure, and when people arrive they discover how much there is to do and see and what a warm welcome they get.”
Chair of Dundee’s Tourism Leadership Group Isabel Bruce said: “These figures show that the hard work of Dundee’s tourism businesses is paying off and we are delighted to play such a prominent role in the city’s economic recovery.
“With our warm welcome and our breathtaking location, our delicious food and gorgeous places to stay, plus our world-class culture and leisure offer, we can see an increasing number of visitors from across the UK and around the world are happily choosing to put Dundee on their map.”
STEAM (Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) is an evaluation model used by many destinations in the UK. It provides a destination with annual tourism data on areas such as visitor numbers, spend, overnight stays, numbers employed in tourism sector and importantly the economic impact of tourism to the area.
The data for overnight stays excludes temporary accommodation provided to refugees.
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