Discovery Point prepares for Dundee’s Big Year and its own £500,000 facelift

With the city of Dundee topping the world’s New Year travel lists, Discovery Point - the site of the historic RRS Discovery visitor attraction - is gearing up for a dramatic £500,000 facelift.

With the neighbouring V&A opening in the second half of 2018, the award-winning Discovery Point will be dramatically enhanced as it prepares for an anticipated surge in visitors to Dundee’s waterfront.

Generous funding from the Coastal Communities Fund and Dundee City Council has contributed towards significant improvements and several new Antarctic-related exhibits at Discovery Point, which celebrates its 25^th Anniversary in the summer of 2018.

The new gallery spaces will feature fresh graphics, audio visual shows, and hands-on digital interactives, as well as displays of objects from the museum’s nationally significant polar collection that are not presently on view. The redevelopment will also create a new multi-purpose learning and activity space.

Dundee Heritage Trust, which operates RRS Discovery, is also hiring an Audience Engagement Officer. This new position is a two-year post funded by Museums Galleries Scotland and the Foyle Foundation. The successful candidate will help develop and deliver a programme of events, activities and resources to attract new audiences to the Trust’s two accredited and 5-star rated museums, Discovery Point and social history and jute museum Verdant Works.

The appointment comes as DHT prepares to play its part in welcoming visitors from across the globe. 2018 is set to be an important and exciting year for Dundee, which features on a set of prestigious New Year travel lists.

The Wall Street Journal recently named Dundee as one of the top 5 locations in the world alongside the likes of Madagascar and Shanghai, The Observer named it a must-see destination for 2018, while leading US business magazine Bloomberg ranked the UNESCO City of Design next to Los Angeles, Singapore and Florence in their roundup of the 22 best places to visit this year.

A recent VisitScotland survey highlighted that 40% of visitors are drawn to Dundee and Angus to visit an attraction, far more than the Scotland national average.

Paul Jennings, executive director of Dundee Heritage Trust, said: "Dundee is now firmly on the international map as a cultural and design centre, and we're proud to be part of that. The innovative High Mill Project at Verdant Works has just secured a prestigious award for its outstanding architecture and RRS Discovery itself is nearing the end of a £350,000 restoration and preservation programme.

“Our venues welcome more than 190,000 visitors a year. As we head into an exciting event and exhibition programme for 2018, the creation of this new position will ensure we exceed expectations and engage with visitors in new and interesting ways.”

For more information visit www.rrsdiscovery.com