Destination management organisation
Welcome to Visit County Durham - the tourism management agency for County Durham which works on behalf of businesses and public agencies to support the growth and development of the county's visitor economy.
Visit County Durham has strategic responsibility for tourism and performs the functions of destination management and marketing in the county. Many others are involved in delivering a vibrant visitor economy, one organisation cannot do it alone, which is why we are a partnership.
Our aim is to place the visitor at the heart of everything we do.
Destination performance
17.91m
(Visitors Annually)
4.6m
(75 Attractions)
9%
(Overnight Stays)
11,724
(Jobs Within the Industry)
£1.04bn
(Annual Income)
Latest news
Europe’s largest collection of historic rail vehicles assembled at Locomotion
15 Mar 2024
Locomotion in Shildon, County Durham is to undertake the museum’s biggest ever rail shunt to create Europe’s largest undercover display of historic rail vehicles. Managed by specialist teams from Locomotion and the National Railway Museum, the shunt will see 46 vehicles (and one road vehicle) moved carefully inside the newly constructed £8m New Hall. Locomotion […]
Read More about Europe’s largest collection of historic rail vehicles assembled at LocomotionHotel Occupancy
13 Mar 2024
Hotel Room Occupancy in England for January 2024 continues to show growth for North East England. Overall, room occupancy was 1% up on January 2022, and on a par with 2019. The North East England recorded the highest growth for January at 5%.
Read More about Hotel OccupancyA66 Project approval
13 Mar 2024
On 7 March 2024, the Secretary of State for Transport approved the Development Consent Order for the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project. This means National Highways now has permission to dual 18 miles of single carriageway between Penrith and Scotch Corner.Â
Read More about A66 Project approvalSuppliers to industry
DJM Financial Planning
Based in Durham, I work with professionals, business owners and families to help achieve financial goals and maximise tax efficiency. Using a holistic approach, I aim to remove the hassle of organising your finances and simplify the seemingly complex. Everyone deserves to understand their financial circumstances and have peace of mind for the future. We […]
Read More about DJM Financial PlanningNorthern Stores & Deli
Welcome to Northern Stores & Deli, your gateway to the thriving artisan food and drink scene in County Durham. As a small, community-driven interest company, we take pride in promoting over 100 local businesses and providing them with a route to market that they might not normally have access to. At Northern Stores & Deli, […]
Read More about Northern Stores & DeliCastle Bank Butchers Stanhope
Jim Higginson opened his first shop at 3 Castle Bank, Tow Law, County Durham on Monday 4th September 1978 and in the years since has expanded the company to the six outlets that form Castle Bank Butchers today. We first branched out from our Tow Law outlet in the early 1980s to the picturesque Weardale town […]
Read More about Castle Bank Butchers StanhopeNew College Durham
New College Durham has over 50 different higher education and professional qualifications in a diverse range of subjects. We deliver these programmes in addition to other professional training options and qualifications to support you in the development of your whole organisation. Enhancing the qualifications and potential of your existing employees is an ideal way of […]
Read More about New College DurhamVisit County Durham latest
VCD Blog - Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024
Today (Friday 8 March) is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It is a chance to reflect on the remarkable feats of women, past and present, while also recognising the amazing women we encounter in our own personal and professional lives. Ultimately, International Women’s Day […]
Read More about VCD Blog - Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024VCD Blog - Working together for Durham and the North East
At Visit County Durham we are proud to be a part of a proactive network of regional partners working together to promote and develop Durham and North East England as destinations. As one of the three Local Visitor Economy Partnerships piloting England’s first Destination Development Partnership, we work closely with NewcastleGateshead Initiative and Visit Northumberland, […]
Read More about VCD Blog - Working together for Durham and the North EastA destination for all: Accessibility takes centre stage at tourism conference
Ensuring an excellent welcome for all visitors was the key theme of Visit County Durham’s 2023 Industry Conference.
Read More about A destination for all: Accessibility takes centre stage at tourism conferenceResearch reveals Memorable Moments marketing campaign generated millions in visitor spend
Visit County Durham’s national destination marketing campaign, Memorable Moments, generated £86.6 million in visitor spend, research has revealed.
Read More about Research reveals Memorable Moments marketing campaign generated millions in visitor spendSocial wall
Over 15,000 paper doves created by visitors with messages of peace will be suspended in Durham Cathedral this summer.
Peace Doves, a mass-participation artwork by Peter Walker, is set to take centre stage in the Nave of the cathedral from 26 July. It will be made up of thousands of ...individually handmade paper doves which will be suspended above the Cathedral’s historic Nave.
The artwork will be set to music by composer David Harper making it an even more atmospheric experience. However before that date each of the 15,000 paper doves will need to be created by visitors to Durham Cathedral.
Read more here 👇
https://www.visitcountydurham.org/news/durham-cathedral-calls-on-people-to-help-create-peace-doves-for-its-upcoming-summer-installation/
Make sure you never miss out on the latest industry news with our Wednesday Grapevine e-newsletter.
Sign up here 👇
https://tinyurl.com/27h89c8v
Supplier Partner Purchasing for Business work with over 5000 business’s from the hospitality, leisure and self catering sectors.
They specialise in reducing costs on a wide range of products and services and Visit County Durham members can now access their exclusive discounts for FREE.
...
Find out more here 👇
https://www.visitcountydurham.org/supplier/purchasing-for-business/?parent=suppliers-to-industry/
Calling all County Durham tourism businesses, VisitEngland and the AA have launched their modernised Quality Assessment schemes, including a new Visitor Ready scheme.
You can learn more about the Visitor Ready scheme and apply here 👇 https://visitorready.com
A new woodland the size of almost 48 football pitches will be planted near a luxury North East hotel and wedding venue.
The 34.24-hectare site by the South Causey Inn in Stanley, County Durham, is set to become home to 32,704 new trees. The new woodland will bring people closer to nature, ...provide a safe haven for wildlife and help the region tackle climate change. The project will be launched with the planting of a ceremonial oak tree followed by a volunteer tree planting event.
Find out more here 👇
https://southcausey.co.uk/
Locomotion in Shildon, County Durham is to undertake the museum’s biggest ever rail shunt to create Europe’s largest undercover display of historic rail vehicles.
Managed by specialist teams from Locomotion and the National Railway Museum, the shunt will see 46 vehicles (and one road ...vehicle) moved carefully inside the newly constructed £8m New Hall.
Locomotion is a partnership between the Science Museum Group and Durham County Council, with the latter having provided significant funding towards New Hall.
Situated opposite the museum’s existing collection building, New Hall is scheduled to open to the public on 24 May 2024.
Read more here 👇
https://www.visitcountydurham.org/news/europes-largest-collection-of-historic-rail-vehicles-assembled-at-locomotion/
Starting today #EnglishTourismWeek24 celebrates tourism businesses up and down the country.
#CountyDurham visitor economy businesses deliver £1 billion contribution to the county's economy!
Thank you to all our fantastic partners who go above and beyond.
...https://tinyurl.com/29hv5mhu
Have you thought about becoming a partner with Visit County Durham?
Our Partnership brings benefits through promoting and developing any type or size of business.
Don't just take our word for it, take a look at some of our fantastic reviews here 👇
...https://www.visitcountydurham.org/testimonials/
If you would like to know more or sign up, you can contact us here 👇 https://www.visitcountydurham.org/partnership-overview/
Hotel Room Occupancy in England for January 2024 continues to show growth for North East England. Overall, room occupancy was 1% up on January 2022, and on a par with 2019.
The North East England recorded the highest growth for January at 5%.
Read more from @VisitEngland 's ...latest Hotel Occupancy data here 👇
https://tinyurl.com/2s3kd7j7