Tourism chiefs say V&A in Dundee will strengthen Scotland-Japan links

Published 7th Jul 2018
Last updated 7th Jul 2018

The new V&A Dundee museum will strengthen links between Scotland and Japan, Culture and Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop has said.

Ms Hyslop highlighted the forthcoming opening of the museum when she met travel trade and airline contacts during a visit to Japan.

Ms Hyslop said the museum offers a unique opportunity to show Japanese visitors that Scotland is an attractive place to visit, as well as to live and work, study and invest.

She said: ''The links between culture and tourism and Japan and Scotland are perfectly illustrated at V&A Dundee.

The museum will showcase the best of Scottish design and has made Dundee a must-visit destination.

It also demonstrates what can be achieved when our countries work together, with renowned award-winning Japanese architects Kengo Kuma & Associates designing the stunning building in one of Scotland's vibrant cities.''

V&A Dundee is expected to attract 350,000 visitors each year.

It will host major exhibitions and aims to celebrate design heritage, inspire and promote contemporary talent, and encourage future design innovation.

The Japanese outbound tourism market is forecast to grow, reaching over 30 million visits abroad by 2025, and Scottish tourism chiefs hope many people from Japan will be keen to visit Scotland.

Christina Bruns of VisitScotland said: ''Scotland has many of the attributes that Japanese visitors enjoy - majestic landscapes, castles, whisky, luxury and unique experiences.

We know that this market is extremely sophisticated, and that their travels are most regularly driven by the need for cultural experience.

V&A Dundee will create an unmissable cultural highlight and will build on the strong links between Scotland and Japan, encouraging more visits to and from one another's countries.

Our aim now is to extend our famous warm welcome to even more Japanese visitors, now and in the years to come.''