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
North East awarded funding to promote the region’s experiences to international visitors
25 Jan 2023
The North East has been awarded a grant from VisitBritain’s GREAT Gateway Innovation Fund to market and promote regional experiences to inbound visitors from the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC). Working in collaboration with local industry, NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI) will develop an international marketing campaign that showcases the very best of the North East to an […]
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Single-use plastics
25 Jan 2023
A ban on a range of polluting single-use plastics will be introduced in England from October 2023. The ban will include single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers. One solution to help businesses move away from single use plastics, could be to investigate how our […]
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Energy support guide
25 Jan 2023
KHospitality has made its information and guidance on energy support available to non-members to help businesses during the cost of living crisis. Resources include an energy bill calculator and a Q&A information sheet. The information and guidance was previously available to UKHospitality members only, but can now be downloaded following completion of an Energy Support […]
Read More about Energy support guideSuppliers to industry
Emerge North East
We are a proud North East based business and we believe our job is to make procurement of products such as stationery, packaging, office furniture, catering, janitorial and hospitality items a quick and easy process for all of our customers. Rest assured Emerge NE has the product to suit. Our vast product range of pens, […]
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Screaming Chimp Chilli Sauce
Screaming Chimp provide all natural, vegan friendly and naturally gluten free chilli sauces. Hit the website at screamingchimp.com to #keeponchimpin
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Grape Software
Grape Software is an innovative food technology company aiming to facilitate UK food hygiene inspections and help food businesses achieve higher standards of food hygiene and compliance. Our web-based software helps food businesses to: Prepare for their first food hygiene inspection; Understand the legal requirements of food safety; Know how to get a food hygiene […]
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Dalton Moor Farm - Vegan Fruit Farm
Dalton Moor Farm is a 24 acre, multi-award winning, Vegan Fruit Farm in Dalton le Dale. We are passionate about working with Mother Nature to care for and develop our orchards, wild-flower meadows, hedgerows, wilding fields and more. We use our own generated solar and wind power and harvested rainwater. We cultivate and forage our […]
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Visit County Durham latest
The Year in Search
Throughout 2022 significant events continued to impact the county's visitor economy, from the lifting of final Covid restrictions to the cost-of-living crisis. Find out how these events, and more, affected what consumers were searching for on thisisdurham.com, the county’s official tourism website. January As 2022 began, our website visitors were looking for Things to Do and […]
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VCD Blog - The sky’s the limit: Developing astro tourism in Durham
Winter is setting in, with its dark nights and frosty mornings traditionally signifying the end of the main tourist season. In Durham, this is certainly not the case. For when it comes to astro tourism, the season is just getting started. It is estimated that 80 per cent of British people cannot see the Milky […]
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What's New for 2023 and Beyond
A number of exciting new openings will be taking place across the county in 2023, further enhancing Durham’s offer, attracting new audiences and encouraging return visits. Raby Estates Ambitious renovations and developments are underway at Raby Estates, as they expand the visitor offer at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens. The Faith Museum Due to open […]
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Year of the Coast 2023
The UK coastline ranks as one of the most exciting in the world; more than 185 million years old, and one of the most varied – rich in maritime history, family attractions, natural beauty and unique sea life. Year of the Coast 2023 will coordinate and amplify a year-long programme of events and promotion of […]
Read More about Year of the Coast 2023Social wall
Work is now underway in conjunction with our publishing partner, Offstone, to create the 2023 edition of the Durham Pocket Guide, with Visit County Durham partners able to benefit from exclusive discounted rates.
125,000 copies will be distributed across the region from early May, encouraging ...visitors to stay longer and explore further.
For further information contact 👇
Lisa Anderson - lisa@offstonepublishing.co.uk
Telephone - 07734 560565.
VCD Partner @Adventure_V Durham has invested £300,000 into its facilities ahead of the Easter holidays. The new play areas are to be built using fully sustainable raw materials in a bid for Adventure Valley to go greener.
Read more here: https://bit.ly/3JiVhHc
VCD Partner Adventure Valley, Durham has invested £300,000 into its facilities ahead of the Easter holidays. The new play areas are to be built using fully sustainable raw materials in a bid for Adventure Valley to go greener.
The investment is to build two new castle-themed outdoor play ...areas, complete with slides, climbing frames and a mini zip wire. One is suitable for under 5’s and the other for those with children aged 5 and over.
Another great attraction to tell your visitors about, especially families!
Find out more here 👇
https://tinyurl.com/ynjsjxc7
Brilliant session today from @nescreen_ workshopping our @DurhamCouncil filming friendly charter and how we can really support productions in County Durham.
Well done and well deserved, @CoarseDurham! #Durham #LoveDurham https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2023-01-25/durham-restaurant-added-to-michelin-guide-just-four-months-after-opening
Excellent news for Durham! 🎉
A great opportunity available 👇
Supplier Partner Reed in Partnership are offering free Disability Confident workshops to all staff of SME’s.
Organisations that are looking to move forward with the Disability Confident Employer badge would highly benefit from these free workshops.
To find out more contact ...Charlotte Gray on 👇
Email: charlotte.gray@reedwellbeing.org.uk
Phone: 0330 175 1474
Don't forget Robson Green's Weekend Escape tonight 6.30pm @BBCTwo.
Robson explores the #DurhamDales with local comedian @LostVoiceGuy and takes to the water at Derwent Waterside Park. Robson also enjoys a stay at @Lord_Crewe_Arms & tries rock climbing with @WeardaleAC