Visit County Durham
Visit County Durham (VCD) is the destination management organisation for County Durham and one of a portfolio of nationally supported, strategic, and high-performing accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnerships. We provide strong local leadership and governance, and are committed to the promotion, management, and development of County Durham as a great place to live, work, visit and do business.
Visit County Durham works in partnership locally, regionally, and nationally on shared priorities and targets. Our mission is to support and grow the visitor economy through robust destination management, strong stakeholder relationships and clear planning.
Our vision is to create the conditions for our residents, businesses, and the environment to benefit from sustainable growth in our visitor economy. By supporting and marketing our distinctive heritage, landscapes, culture and warm welcome, we will grow both day and overnight visits and make County Durham a compelling, global destination for tourism, culture, and business.
Destination performance
21.56m
(Visitors Annually)
Over 6m
(75 Attractions)
8%
(Overnight Stays)
13,795
(Jobs Within the Industry)
£1.38bn
(Annual Income)
Latest news
Visit County Durham Launches Dedicated Travel Trade Brochure
24 Apr 2026
Visit County Durham has launched its first dedicated Travel Trade brochure, created to support and inspire coach and tour operators, travel agents, and group travel organisers. Designed specifically for travel trade partners, the brochure brings together practical tools and ideas to help plan, promote and deliver memorable visits to Durham. It showcases a wide range of group-friendly attractions and experiences, alongside accommodation suited to groups, and experienced tour guides. A […]
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TEDxDurhamUniversity Returns to Durham with Inspiring Line-Up of Global Speakers
24 Apr 2026
Durham, United Kingdom – 2 May 2026 — TEDxDurhamUniversity is set to return on Saturday 2 May 2026 at Redhills Miners Hall, bringing together an exceptional line-up of speakers from academia, industry, and public life for an afternoon of ideas, innovation, and thought-provoking discussion. Running from 13:00 to 17:00, the independently organised TEDx event will […]
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Top street bands lined up for Durham Brass Festival
24 Apr 2026
One of the region’s liveliest music festivals is bringing the party to the streets once again this summer and everyone is invited. Streets of Brass will return to Durham City on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July as part of Durham Brass Festival, a highlight of Durham County Council’s festival and events programme. Across one […]
Read More about Top street bands lined up for Durham Brass FestivalSuppliers to industry
East Durham College
At East Durham College we provide an entire suite of services aimed at improving the quality of your workforce and helping your company to function better. And the great news for your business is that we can access funds directly to reduce your training costs. Education and training, as you would expect, lie at the […]
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Stick Marketing
We are an experienced brand and digital marketing agency based in Durham City. We apply strategic and creative thinking to your brand, online presence and marketing communications. We are on a mission to deliver you big ideas, true stories, engaging content and real results - all while providing value for money and return on your […]
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Coghlans Artisan Bakery
Coghlans at Barningham's Artisan Bakery has been created within the old stable block and coach house at Barningham Park, a classic estate where the bakehouse and kitchen hosts a range of artisan products from bread and chocolates and your daily essential needs. Coghlans handmade bread use no preservatives food colours or artificial flavours, just a natural product from […]
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The Fairy Wedmother
Aimed at wedding venues, The Fairy Wedmother offers training and development to wedding co-ordinators to increase your skills in enquiry conversion, getting more enquiries, increased and additional revenue along with keeping up with wedding trends. We provide 1-1 or group training as a one off or with ongoing support. Secret Wedmother can test your systems […]
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Visit County Durham latest
Visit County Durham hosts VisitBritain chief executive for county showcase
Visit County Durham was delighted to host a visit from Patricia Yates last week, Chief Executive Officer of VisitBritain/VisitEngland. Following significant investment in the county’s visitor economy in recent years, through new and enhanced attractions and accommodation, and with even more yet to come, the visit was an excellent opportunity to strengthen ties with the […]
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Visit County Durham delivers successful North East showcase at national travel trade show
Visit County Durham led a delegation at the British Tourism and Travel Show, held in Birmingham earlier this month, showcasing the region to group travel organisers, tour and coach operators, on the first ever Destination North East England stand. The event, the UK’s leading group travel exhibition, attracted over 2,000 industry professionals and more than […]
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Visit County Durham connects with travel media at VisitEngland PR event
Visit County Durham showcased the county’s latest tourism stories to national travel media at a VisitEngland PR networking event in London. The event took place at The Hoxton Southwark, bringing together destinations from across England with leading travel and lifestyle journalists, international correspondents, content creators and freelance writers. The networking evening provided a valuable opportunity for destinations to share new tourism developments, experiences and story […]
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Local Stories, National Growth: Driving Durham’s Visitor Economy Forward
As we come to the end of English Tourism Week 2026, I’d like to reflect on the importance of the annual event and how it provides an key opportunity to celebrate the value of our visitor economy and the role it plays in supporting jobs, businesses and communities across the county.
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