English Tourism Week
Local stories, national growth
English Tourism Week will take place on 13-22 March 2026.
VisitEngland’s annual English Tourism Week campaign celebrates our diverse, exciting and vibrant sector, and highlights the quality and value of the English tourism offer. The initiative champions the sector through political engagement nationally, regionally and locally – demonstrating to political decision-makers and key stakeholders including Minsters, MPs, industry and the media, the vital importance of tourism to England and local communities.
The week shines a spotlight on the outstanding quality and exceptional value that English tourism brings to visitors and communities alike.
Tourism is one of England’s largest, most valuable industries, and in County Durham it generates £1.38bn for the local economy and supports over 13,000 jobs.
Over 21m visitors are attracted to the county every year by our incredible assets and experiences, and with this year’s English Tourism Week theme being ‘Local Stories, National Growth,’ we are shining a light on some of Visit County Durham’s projects that harness these unique stories to drive growth and enrich and support local communities.
Cllr Karen Allison
As English Tourism Week gets underway, we will be highlighting some of the Visit County Durham projects that are harnessing the county’s unique stories to drive growth. Hear from Cllr Karen Allison, Durham County Council Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Tourism and High Streets, on the importance of the visitor economy to the county, in the first of our English Tourism Week ‘Local Stories, National Growth’ video series.
Dark Skies
In the first of our ‘Local Stories, National Growth’ video series for English Tourism Week, discover how Visit County Durham is harnessing Durham’s dark skies to capture the growing astro tourism market. Our activity supports the rural economy, converts day visits into overnight, promotes visits outside of the main season, increases visitor spend and supports jobs.
Northern Saints Trails
In the second of our English Tourism Week video series on how local stories drive national growth, we shine a light on The Northern Saints Trails. This regional tourism product development initiative, led by Visit County Durham, has produced a network of walking routes across North East England that bring to life the stories of the northern saints. Supporting tourism businesses, encouraging longer stays and return visits, the trails generate an estimated annual economic impact of £2.2m for the region, and have generated over £700,000 in media coverage.
Welcome to Durham
The best way to build customer loyalty in the tourism and hospitality industry is through good customer service. And in the third of our ‘Local Stories, National Growth’ videos for English Tourism Week, we look at how the Welcome to Durham training course, introduced by Visit County Durham, has so far provided over 280 businesses with the skills and knowledge needed to build customer satisfaction, which in turn increases return business and encourages word of mouth referrals.
Taste Durham
The food and drink sector is worth £503m (36% of total spend) to the county’s visitor economy and employs over 5,000 people. With local food and produce an important factor in a visitor choosing a destination, in the fourth instalment of our ‘Local Stories, National Growth’ video series for English Tourism Week we look at how Visit County Durham’s ‘Taste Durham’ initiative is supporting businesses to stand out from the crowd, creating opportunities for suppliers to meet potential buyers, and showcasing the county’s distinctive food and drink.
Alison Maynard
A strong and skilled workforce is at the heart of a successful visitor economy, and in the final instalment of our ‘Local Stories, National Growth’ video series for English Tourism Week, we hear from Alison Maynard at New College Durham, speaking about the vital role education plays in supporting the tourism and hospitality sector. As key employers in the county, tourism and hospitality offer a wide range of career opportunities, and colleges are working closely with businesses to ensure students are equipped with the skills, experience and industry knowledge needed to succeed, helping to build a pipeline of talent ready to support future growth. By investing in skills and training, we can ensure the county continues to deliver high-quality visitor experiences, supporting businesses, creating jobs and strengthening the local economy.