Dark Skies

As part of Visit County Durham’s 20-year anniversary, this film explores how County Durham is harnessing its exceptional dark skies to tap into the growing astro-tourism market. This innovative approach is helping to strengthen the rural economy, encourage overnight stays, extend the visitor season beyond traditional peak periods, increase visitor spend, and support local jobs and businesses across the county.

Northern Saints Trails

This film shines a light on The Northern Saints Trails. Led by Visit County Durham, and a significant project in our 20 year history, this landmark tourism product development initiative has created a network of walking routes across North East England, bringing to life the stories and heritage of the northern saints.

Welcome to Durham

Excellent customer service sits at the heart of a thriving tourism industry, and this has been a key focus for Visit County Durham over the past 20 years.

Through the Welcome to Durham training course, more than 280 local businesses have been equipped with the skills and knowledge to deliver consistently high-quality visitor experiences. This helps improve customer satisfaction, encourage repeat visits, and generate positive word-of-mouth that strengthens the wider visitor economy.

Taste Durham

Over the past 20 years, County Durham has worked hard to strengthen and grow its food and drink offer, building a sector that is now worth £503 million to the county’s visitor economy (36% of total visitor spend) and supports over 5,000 jobs.

With local food and produce playing a key role in visitor decision-making, the Visit County Durham ‘Taste Durham’ initiative is helping businesses stand out from the crowd, creating opportunities for suppliers to connect with potential buyers, and showcasing the county’s distinctive food and drink offer.