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
20.15m
(Visitors Annually)
6.5m
(75 Attractions)
8%
(Overnight Stays)
13,178
(Jobs Within the Industry)
£1.23bn
(Annual Income)
Latest news
Durham Fringe Festival returns with its most exciting lineup to date
8 May 2025
Between 23rd and 27th July 2025, Durham Fringe Festival will host a spectacular array of performing arts across nine Durham City Centre venues. Audiences will be invited to explore over 110 unique acts across a programme of 270+ performances. Genres include theatre, music, stand-up comedy, comedy theatre, magic, spoken word, cabaret, dance, physical theatre, circus, […]
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Walking Month
7 May 2025
May is National Walking Month 2025, a campaign to encourage people across all ages and backgrounds to get outside and embrace the simple, yet profound health benefits of walking. Durham offers a variety of walking routes from the Northern Saints Trails, walks around the North Pennines National Landscape and Durham Dales to footpaths along the […]
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Accessibility Clinics Reminder
7 May 2025
As part of the Everybody Welcome programme, we are offering 1:1 online business clinics undertaken by Chris Veitch and Jane Cooper from Access and Inclusion UK. Get tailored advice and guidance on making your business more accessible. The sessions are running until the end of June 2025. Register here and Chris and Jane will be […]
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Stelliferous Limited
Stelliferous Limited is a family-run event production company creating unforgettable live experiences across the South West and North East of England. We specialise in live music promotion, event management, and theatrical production, offering a full range of services from artist booking and ticketing to technical delivery and on-the-day coordination. Whether it’s a large-scale concert or […]
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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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Northern Print Distribution
Northern Print Distribution: Putting your leaflets precisely where you want them. At Northern Print Distribution we can help you implement an effective leaflet marketing campaign that will drive crucial footfall to your business.
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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
Durham shortlisted for national award
Durham has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Group Leisure & Travel Awards 2025. The county has been nominated by readers of Group Leisure and Travel magazine and is now in the running to be voted Best UK Destination.
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Exciting new Story launched for Durham
An exciting new approach to promoting the county was unveiled yesterday (18 March), with over 80 stakeholders attending the launch of the ‘Durham story’. The event, hosted by Durham County Council and Durham University at Gala Durham, was the culmination of a 12-month project which has seen engagement with hundreds of stakeholders from across the […]
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New collaboration seeks to attract French visitors to North East England
Newcastle Airport and destination development partnership, Destination North East England have collaborated with Expedia Group on a new campaign targeting visitors from France. Capitalising on the new easyJet route between Paris and Newcastle, the digital campaign aims to drive flight bookings, and overnight stays by highlighting the unique experiences visitors can take advantage of when […]
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VCD Blog - Progress and pace continues as we look forward with optimism
As 2025 is now in full swing it feels great to be looking ahead with excitement and optimism.
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