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
11.4m
(Visitors Annually)
4m
(70 attractions)
6%
(Overnight Stays)
6,794
(Jobs within the industry)
£507m
(Annual Income)
Latest news
Master Chef of Great Britain launches new menu at Lumley Castle
30 Sep 2022
The elite head chef at one of the North East’s most renowned hotels is showcasing his skill and experience with a new, fine dining menu. Jim Hall, recently awarded the prestigious Master Chef of Great Britain title, leads the catering team at historic Lumley Castle Hotel, Chester-le-Street, Co Durham. And he has just launched a […]
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Raby Estates announces high connectivity broadband for Upper Teesdale
30 Sep 2022
Raby Estates has announced that householders and businesses across the whole of Upper Teesdale will have the benefit of ultrafast broadband from the autumn. A programme to bring high connectivity broadband to over 50 tenants of the estate and other neighbouring properties is being rolled out over the next three months through the UK Government’s […]
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Touch Stay update
28 Sep 2022
Over the summer, VCD Supplier Partner Touch Stay has added Hostaway and enhanced existing integrations with OwnerRez and BookingSync to further facilitate the ease with which accommodation providers can effectively communicate with guests - an integration with Anytime Booking is in the works. Touch Stay digital guest welcome books halve the time operators spend communicating with […]
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Brilliance Assured for Wedding Venues
BAWV – Brilliance Assured for Wedding Venues was born of a desire to ensure everyone always has an amazing wedding experience. Not just on the day, but the whole caboodle. And to help venues to learn, connect and grow by keeping on top on major trends and changes, bringing networking to coordinators and sharing the […]
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Hewitts Solicitors
Hewitts has served the local community for more than 60 years. As one of the longest established law firms in the North East, our partners, consultants and associates work together in dedicated legal teams. We are an expert in this field. Many people are reluctant to speak to solicitors for a number of reasons but […]
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The Tea Enthusiasts
The Tea Enthusiasts have a lot to offer business customers large or small. Our personalised hands-on approach to service means your orders will not only be competitively priced within the market but customised to meet your needs. Bring your drinks upmarket and on trend with artisanal teas of the highest quality at prices you wouldn't believe. Business to Business sales are […]
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William Peat Butchers
Teesdale's oldest and finest butchers. Beef and lamb is locally produced supplemented by the best Yorkshire pork and poultry.
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Visit County Durham latest
Tourism Sentiment Score
The Tourism Sentiment Score is a measure of a destination’s ability to generate positive word of mouth about its tourism offer, which is vitally important when growing the image, identity and reputation of a place. The score is based solely on online conversations that reference or affect a potential traveller’s perceptions of a destination, with […]
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Be Part of VisitBritain's International Marketing Campaign
Download their industry toolkit to see how you can get involved and be part of our campaign to highlight your business or destination to international consumers. What do I get? Join a movement to inspire and welcome visitors back to Britain A chance to highlight your business or destination to consumers with the potential to […]
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US travel trade mission
In partnership with Marketing Manchester and Avanti Destinations, Visit County Durham is visiting Texas next week as part of the Manchester Gateway Project. We will be meeting with over 150 US travel trade, travel agents and travel media across the week, with the aim of increasing awareness of Durham as a holiday destination and using Manchester […]
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Durham security office scoops tourism superstar award
Durham has crowned its first Tourism Superstar in three years, following a hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Connor Turnbull, a security officer at Dalton Park Outlet Shopping Destination, has been crowned Durham Tourism Superstar 2022 thanks to his excellent customer service, volunteering experience and tenacious attitude to tourism. Richard Kaye, centre manager at Dalton […]
Read More about Durham security office scoops tourism superstar awardSocial wall
The North Pennines AONB Partnership will be holding their annual tourism forum on 13th October at Melmerby Village Hall, Cumbria asking:
'Is a regenerative approach the way forward for the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and UNESCO Global Geopark?
And if so -... what does it mean for destination management, business operation and future development?'
The Keynote speaker will be Vicky Smith, founder of Earth Changers.
Find out more and book here 👇
https://tinyurl.com/5n8dknz4
Some valuable information shared here from our Supplier Partner Grape Software Limited 👇
Due to demand, we're opening up November and December bookings early
Our current menu will finish on 22nd October
Menu 2) 26th October - 26th November
Menu 3) 29th November - 24th December
https://t.co/aiLKuIbMOf
Visit County Durham's Northern Saints Trails Passport encourages walkers to seek out locations along the Northern Saints routes to obtain stamps as a record of their visit.
Marketing activity promotes participating businesses, driving footfall to those taking part.
Get in touch to... find out more about stocking or participating in the passport here 👇
Craig.Wilson@visitcountydurham.org
Durham Cathedral's interior is set to be transformed with light and sound this October.
This autumn, your visitors can experience Durham Cathedral in a whole new light as from 6.45pm every evening, between 12-16 October, the cathedral will be flooded with light and sound.
...Find out more here 👇
https://tinyurl.com/zxdrm9xh
As Astro tourism grows in popularity, Visit County Durham have recognised the need to offer business support to ensure that businesses understand the variety of needs of this market.
We will be hosting FREE business development workshops designed to give you an insight into this area and to ...broaden your knowledge.
For more information or to book a place please contact Lucy Wearne at 👇
lucy.wearne@visitcountydurham.org.
Having your event listed on Thisisdurham.com is valuable exposure to thousands of visitors to Durham.
If you have an event or an exhibition that you’d like us to include in our Week Ahead events listing guide you can submit this easily here 👇
https://bit.ly/2TTNs3a
📣 This week's Grapevine is out now, read the latest about-
👀 Campaign partner opportunity
🏆 Tourism Awards (last chance to apply)
💻Tourism forum
👍 Touch Stay update
Find out more here 👇
https://tinyurl.com/bp7xs5yy