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All the latest news from the Industry and the Visit County Durham Grapevine newsletter.
Visit County Durham
Bumper investment drives continued growth for Durham’s visitor economy
11 Jun 2025
Latest tourism figures show a major boost for Durham’s visitor economy as the county sees overall visitor expenditure rise to a record £1.38billion, with the number of day visitors now […]
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Industry
VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025 winners announced
9 Jun 2025
VisitEngland has revealed the winners of its VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025, highlighting the very best of England’s outstanding tourism industry. Gold, Silver and Bronze winners have been announced across […]
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Industry
Volunteer at Lumiere: Applications open this Volunteers’ Week
6 Jun 2025
Volunteers who help run community events and cultural activities across County Durham are being thanked for their hard work and commitment. Durham County Council is marking Volunteers’ Week, which runs […]
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Industry
MasterChef Champion Dan Merriman partners with Faru for exclusive three-night tasting menu in Durham
4 Jun 2025
Food lovers in the North East are in for a treat! From Thursday 12th June to Saturday 14th June, MasterChef: The Professionals 2024 winner Dan Merriman will join Jake Siddle, […]
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Industry
Top TV chef to headline Seaham Food Festival
29 May 2025
TV presenter, chef and culinary author John Torode MBE has been announced as the headline chef at this year’s Seaham Food Festival. The Durham County Council-run festival will be back […]
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Industry
Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa opens the barn door
27 May 2025
A summer events space at one of the North East’s top hotels has been given a stylish upgrade. Every year Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa near Durham erects a […]
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Industry
Coastal Survey
21 May 2025
Calling all Durham coast businesses, please take 5-10 minutes to complete the Spring/Summer wave of the National Coastal Tourism Academy's (NCTA) business survey. This wave focuses on performance to date […]
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Industry
Auckland Palace’s Walled Garden becomes hive of activity
21 May 2025
To mark World Bee Day, 20th May, The Auckland Project has installed a new apiary in the historic 17th-century Walled Garden at Auckland Palace to celebrate the vital role of […]
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Industry
All Change! arrives at The Story
20 May 2025
A new exhibition arrives at The Story next week, exploring the impact of passenger railways on life in the north east. All Change! is part of the nine-month S&DR200 festival, […]
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Industry
Durham Brass Festival announces dates for Streets of Brass Weekend, additional line-up including Radio 4 Loose Ends, Brass Tea Dance, Pet Snake, and Brass Boat Cruises
20 May 2025
Today (15th May), Durham Brass Festival is proud to announce a host of fantastic new additions to the already spectacular lineup for this year’s edition that takes place 13-20 July. […]
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Industry
Highest civic honour awarded to Weardale volunteers
19 May 2025
The highest civic honour in County Durham has been bestowed to one of the founders of the Weardale Museum and volunteers who have helped restore the area’s heritage railway line. […]
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Industry
Read all about it: Seven Stories opens doors to sister site, Two Tales in Durham
15 May 2025
Two Tales is officially open on Durham’s high street with an exciting launch weekend for stakeholders, friends, local families and supporters of Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books […]
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Industry
Kynren begins work on major show for its time travelling theme park
15 May 2025
Following recent planning approval, development has now begun on one of the flagship experiences within Kynren – The Storied Lands, the UK’s first live-action historical theme park. Set to open […]
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Industry
Durham shortlisted for national group travel award
15 May 2025
Durham has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Group Travel World Awards 2025. The county has been chosen as a finalist by Group Travel Organisers in the Group Travel […]
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Industry
Tourism’s importance to social cohesion and wellbeing highlighted in new research from VisitEngland
15 May 2025
New research published today by VisitEngland demonstrates the positive cultural and social impacts that tourism has on local communities across the UK. The report - ‘The Social Value of Tourism’ […]
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