As we come to the end of the year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on some of the county’s many successes. 2025 has been another remarkable year for Durham’s visitor economy – a year defined by growth, collaboration, and a shared commitment to excellence.

It is also an opportunity to celebrate the people, businesses, and partnerships that support the destination to succeed, and to keep it firmly in the national and international spotlight.

I want to begin by offering a heartfelt thank you to the Visit County Durham team.  Their dedication, passion, and commitment throughout the year has been commendable. As a small team, we rely on each other to deliver results across a broad range of activities, from product development, business support and engagement to destination marketing and media engagement to training and sustainable tourism initiatives.

I would like to thank the new Visit County Durham Advisory Board, which was formed earlier this year and offers expert guidance and strategic insight to help the county’s visitor economy continue to grow and evolve.

As we look ahead to the New Year, I want to make you aware that the UK Government has launched a consultation on proposals that would allow Mayoral Combined Authorities to introduce a tourism levy. If implemented, this levy could be applied to visitor accommodation to help raise funds for local services and support further investment in our visitor economy. I would encourage all our partners and businesses to have their say on the design of this new power, which will give communities greater control over how overnight visitor contributions is used. The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 18 February 2026.We strongly encourage businesses to:

• Share your views with Visit County Durham, so they can be incorporated into our sector response partners@visitcountydurham.org
• Respond directly to the Government consultation, ensuring your organisation’s voice is heard - https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/overnight-visitor-levy-in-england

A year of achievements

2025 has seen many successes for Durham’s visitor economy. The latest 2024 STEAM figures show that the visitor economy is now valued at a record £1.38bn, supporting more than 13,795 jobs. These results highlight the crucial role of our partners – attractions, accommodation providers, and businesses across the county – in delivering exceptional experiences for our 21.56 million visitors.

Our partnership marketing campaigns played a central role in driving this growth. The Next Stop Durham campaign, delivered collaboratively with partners, made a significant contribution to the county’s economy. The campaign generated an estimated £165m in visitor spend, accounting for 12% of the county’s total annual economic impact, up from £103m delivered by the previous campaign. It also delivered strong audience engagement, with 58% of survey respondents recalling the activity. Of those, 40% said the campaign had influenced their decision to visit – a 3% uplift on the previous campaign – and a further 34% said it had probably influenced their visit. These results demonstrate the reach, effectiveness, and continued impact of the campaign in driving both interest and action.

In March 2025, we unveiled our new county-wide place brand “The Durham Story” developed following extensive consultation with hundreds of regional stakeholders. The brand captures what makes Durham special: a unique blend of natural lifestyle, heritage and culture, enterprise and ambition, and a vibrant city at its heart. It will provide a consistent, compelling narrative for Durham, uniting businesses, organisations and individuals behind a shared identity that supports tourism, investment, and community pride.

To make the brand work in practice, we launched the Durham Champions network, a county-wide community of businesses, organisations, residents, and alumni who believe in the power of Durham, and who will help tell our story to the world.

We continued to embed the county’s place brand, ensuring Durham’s unique stories and distinct identity are communicated consistently across all channels.

We have continued to support tourism businesses with a range of targeted training and events. Mastering AI for Tourism Businesses saw attendees gain practical skills in content creation, smart publicity, and outreach campaigns to drive enquiries, PR coverage, and bookings. Instagram for Businesses engaged participants in exploring how Instagram and Pinterest can support growth, covering posting frequency, video and image content, and strategies to boost engagement.

Our Industry Conference brought together attendees to hear the latest regional and national updates, including destination marketing activity, niche market insights, and a VisitEngland overview. Breakout sessions focused on walking, cycling, and food tourism.

Weddings Training in January will guide businesses on using social platforms to reach new audiences, while the Product Knowledge Day in February will give accommodation providers the chance to connect with attractions, activity providers, and industry suppliers to learn about 2026 developments.

Our commitment to service excellence is also reflected in the continued growth of our training accreditations. We now have 32 Dark Sky Friendly businesses, and 256 people have achieved the Welcome to Durham qualification. With further courses running again in February and March, up to another 30 people are expected to join.

We celebrated the S&DR200 Festival, marking the 200th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. This milestone presented the opportunity to highlight the county’s pivotal role in railway history through a successful partnership with the Tees Valley Combined Authority, showcasing our shared railway heritage on the national and international stage.

2025 brought extraordinary recognition across the sector. Durham was named Best UK Destination at the Group Leisure & Travel Awards. At the same ceremony, Beamish Museum won Best UK Attraction and Kynren was named Best Event for Groups. On the very same evening, Beamish was also announced as the Art Fund Museum of the Year – the world’s most prestigious museum prize.

Seaham Hall earned global recognition from La Liste, and Raby Castle’s walled gardens secured second place at the 2025 European Garden Awards. These accolades demonstrate the quality, diversity, and ambition of Durham’s visitor offer.

Looking ahead to 2026

Next year promises to be equally exciting. Our work will continue to focus on strong partnerships and shared priorities for growth. We will work closely with partners across the North East and Tees Valley Combined Authority regions to advance our strategic priorities, and raise our profile through national and  international activity A new campaign will shine a spotlight on the county’s outstanding cultural offer, supported by an enhanced place marketing programme.

Our Durham Champions scheme will continue to grow, helping ambassadors across sectors tell the story of Durham with confidence and pride.

We will work closely with organisations as major developments come forward, including Kynren’s new Storied Lands and the opening of the The Light, Durham City’s new cultural venue both of which will add significant depth and appeal to the county’s visitor economy .

We are planning the next Industry Product Knowledge Day for February, ensuring that visitor economy businesses across the county are fully aware of the incredible developments taking place and are equipped to promote them to their customers.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish our partners from across the county and beyond a restful and enjoyable Christmas and New Year.  Thank you for your ongoing support, collaboration, and commitment – together we have achieved so much, and together we will continue to build Durham’s success in the year ahead.

Michelle