Karen Tocher, the bureau’s business tourism manager, said, “The role that business tourism has to play in the Dundee and Angus economy should not be underestimated. On average, three times more is spent by conference delegates than by leisure tourists. This includes expenditure on registration fees, travel costs, accommodation, food and drink, and the added impact of delegates now extending their stay, including their partners and families in their visit.”

Dundee attracted three major conferences last year, which alone injected nearly £1 million into the local economy.

The British Society for Dental Research conference in April hosted 350 delegates and earned £300, 000.

At the 6th International Congress on Global Construction in July, 550 delegates spent £350, 000 in the city. And in October, the Rotary District 1020 conference at the Caird Hall attracted 750 delegates and contributed £320, 000 to local business.

“These events have been important because of their economic impact and also the size of the event,” Ms Tocher said.

“For example, the Global Construction conference attracted delegates from 65 countries.

“In total, 39 events were secured during 2005 to take place in Dundee and Angus. Over the past year, the bureau has invested an enormous amount of effort and work into developing competitive destination support and has already begun to reap the benefits following successful bids for events such as the RCN 2007 Research conference, where we were competing against other UK destinations, and the ITiCSE 2007 conference, competing against Madrid.”

Business tourism accounts for a quarter of all tourist spending in Scotland, and brings an estimated £1 billion into the nation’s economy.

It is estimated that the benefit to the Dundee and Angus economy has doubled in the last three years to more than £8 million.