Last night, The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum struck gold at the 2019/20 Scottish Thistle Awards National Final at Edinburgh International Conference Centre where they won Best Visitor Attraction.
The Scottish Thistle Awards, now in their 27th year, help shine the spotlight on individuals and businesses going above and beyond to create a destination and visitor experience worth talking about amongst our valuable tourism industry. They champion the very best of the Scottish tourism industry, celebrating innovation, success and excellence in the sector.
2019 saw almost 600 entries submitted, including more than 1,000 nominations from members of the public keen to give hotels, restaurants, B&Bs, visitor attractions and individuals the opportunity to earn the recognition they deserve from their own industry peers.
The museum saw off tough competition on the night from The Edinburgh Dungeon, Delgatie Castle Trust, Heads of Ayr Farm Park and Isle of Raasay Distillery to claim the prestigious prize.
The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum is a Victorian Gothic building, home to Dundee's museum collection spanning 400 million years and has been at the heart of art and culture in the City since 1867. Eight beautiful open gallery spaces house fascinating exhibitions of art, history and the environment, giving a fascinating insight into Dundee.
10 years ago The McManus, known locally as The Peoples Museum, experienced a £12 million restoration to create a dynamic visitor attraction which has become a key part of Dundee's cultural renaissance. It has since hosted Titian's masterpiece Diana and Actaeon with the National Galleries of Scotland and partnered V&A, Royal Collection, British Museum, National Museums of Scotland and Tate in major exhibitions as well as showing the best of Dundee's nationally significant collections. It was also the venue for Bash Street’s Back at The McMenace which celebrated the Beano’s 80th Anniversary in 2018.
Billy Gartley, Head of Cultural Services at Leisure & Culture Dundee said
"We are absolutely delighted to win this award as we have been working hard to make The McManus even more appealing to visitors. We are also excited to play our part in the region's tourism success and can't wait to welcome visitors from home and abroad to our beautiful galleries."