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Latest News
All the latest news from the Industry and the Visit County Durham Grapevine newsletter.
Industry
Hall Hill Farm in County Durham Crowned UK’s Best Large Farm Attraction
6 Feb 2025
Hall Hill Farm near Lanchester, County Durham, is celebrating a huge win after being named Large Farm Attraction of the Year at the prestigious National Farm Attractions Network Awards. The awards gala, held last week at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, brought together the UK’s top farm...
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Industry
Ramside Hall Hotel to create multi million pound golf facility
6 Feb 2025
A County Durham hotel is investing more than £6m in creating what will be one of the UK’s top golf facilities. Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa already has two championship courses, which brings players from across the region and nationally. And now the hotel is building a multi-million-pound...
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Industry
VisitBritain awards Gateway Fund to inspire international visitors to explore Britain through regional gateways
3 Feb 2025
Destination North East England and Marketing Manchester have secured funding from VisitBritain’s GREAT Gateway Innovation Fund. With VisitBritain’s global screen tourism campaign ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ set to launch, the Gateway Fund campaigns will feature film and tv...
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Industry
North Pennines tribute festival returns for 2025 with early bird discount offer
3 Feb 2025
Derwent Fest is back and ready to transport festival goers through the decades with a tribute weekend like no other. Set in the picturesque North Pennines at Derwent Waterside Park, music, fun and relaxation come together to create an unforgettable weekend. The event takes place on 15 & 16...
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Industry
Local Award Voting
29 Jan 2025
Voting is now open for Tourism Event & Festival of the Year in the North East England Tourism Awards! This is the first time we've had a publicly voted category - good luck to all the finalists. The businesses shortlisted are: Durham Fire & Ice Festival (Durham BID), Kynren, Northern Pride...
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Visit County Durham
Expedia Campaign
29 Jan 2025
Visit County Durham has partnered with Newcastle International Airport, NewcastleGateshead Initiative, Visit Northumberland and Sunderland City Council to deliver a £40k marketing campaign with Expedia to drive an increase in visitors from France. The campaign supports the Easyjet route from...
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Industry
LNER unveils 'Darlington' livery as it celebrates 200 years of the railway
29 Jan 2025
To kick off a year of celebrations, LNER has unveiled a commemorative livery on one of its Azuma trains to mark 200 years since the first passenger journey on the world-famous Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR). ‘Darlington’ has been designed to hail the town’s world-changing...
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Industry
Save the date! Lumiere Durham returns in 2025
28 Jan 2025
Tuesday 28 January 2025. Artichoke has announced dates for Lumiere Durham 2025, the UK’s light art biennial. The hugely popular event will take place over three evenings this autumn, from Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 November 2025. Produced and curated by Artichoke and commissioned by Durham County...
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Industry
VisitBritain launches global screen tourism campaign with blockbuster-inspired film
28 Jan 2025
To drive inbound tourism across Britain, national tourism agency VisitBritain has this week launched a global screen tourism campaign, kicking off with a blockbuster-inspired film that sees Britain the star of the show. The campaign ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ rolls out internationally...
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Industry
Durham Restaurant Week Returns From January 31 to February 7
27 Jan 2025
Diners in Durham can try out the city’s newly opened restaurants at a fraction of the cost during Durham Restaurant Week – which kicks off next Friday. Fiik, Zaap Thai, Jozef’s Riverside Bar and Restaurant and Café at The Quarter have all signed up to the hugely popular event, which runs...
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Industry
The Bowes Museum attracts internationally acclaimed music artists as part of a series of intimate performances in the historic building starting with Nerina Pallot
24 Jan 2025
BRIT award, Ivor Novello and Mercury Music Prize nominated artists very familiar with playing to large national and international audiences, are being attracted to perform in the intimate setting of The Bowes Museum this year. The concert series kicks off with a solo concert by Nerina Pallot on 21...
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Industry
Electronic Travel Authorisation
22 Jan 2025
Since 8th January, eligible non-Europeans visiting the UK need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for permission to travel to the UK. From 5th March 2025, eligible Europeans can apply for an ETA, and will need an ETA to travel to the UK from 2nd April 2025. An ETA costs £10 and...
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Visit County Durham
Durham Pocket Guide
22 Jan 2025
Advertising opportunities are still available for the 2025 Durham Pocket Guide, the official visitor guide for the County. Featuring sections for Durham City, the Durham Dales, the Vale of Durham and the Durham Coast, it is an essential promotional tool for your business. With over 100,000 copies...
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Visit County Durham
Campaign Toolkit
22 Jan 2025
The second stage of Visit County Durham's national marketing campaign, Next Stop Durham, is underway, with adverts on the London Underground and an online content partnership with the Manchester Evening News taking place this month. Be part of the campaign and support the destination by using the...
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Industry
LNER Welcomes in 2025; A Year Of Celebration, Collaboration and Transformation
20 Jan 2025
LNER will be welcoming in 2025 as it joins the rail industry in marking 200 years of the modern railway and a once in a generation timetable uplift that will bring more services and faster journeys.
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