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.

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Durham’s Visitor Economy Exceeds £1 Billion Milestone

Durham’s Visitor Economy Exceeds £1 Billion Milestone

Tourism contributed £1.23 billion to Durham’s economy, the latest industry research has revealed.

Just launched: National Marketing Campaign

Just launched: National Marketing Campaign

Our new campaign called 'Next Stop, Durham' aims to inspire those who have travelled through the county by rail or road, but never visited.

Join Us

From attractions and accommodation providers to places to eat, things to do and local suppliers, Visit County Durham Partnership brings benefits through promoting and developing any type or size of business.

Join Us

Filming Friendly Durham

Supporting production companies, filmmakers and photographers, make Durham your next destination.

Filming Friendly Durham
Visit County Durham Advisory Board

Visit County Durham Advisory Board

We have an exciting opportunity for experienced leaders who are committed and passionate about County Durham’s visitor economy and the growth potential of the sector.

Find a Supplier

Find a Supplier

Visit County Durham work with a number of Supplier Partner’s who offer services which are directly relevant to tourism businesses.

Destination performance

Visitors
Visitors in Durham

20.15m

(Visitors Annually)

Visits to Attractions
Attractions in Durham

6.5m

(75 Attractions)

Staying Visitors
Accommodation in Durham

8%

(Overnight Stays)

Employment
Tourism employment in Durham

13,178

(Jobs Within the Industry)

Visitor Economy
Durhams Visitor economy

£1.23bn

(Annual Income)

Latest news

English Tourism Week

20 Nov 2024

The annual campaign to celebrate the English tourism sector, English Tourism Week, will return 14-23 March 2025. Led by VisitEngland, the campaign highlights to government and stakeholders the invaluable contributions the sector makes to the English economy, around £70.5 billion (GDP), while supporting 2.6 million jobs. An industry toolkit for businesses and destinations to get […]

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How's Business?

20 Nov 2024

Please spare five minutes of your time to answer Visit County Durham How's Business Survey. The results of the survey are used to help us analyse business performance in the County. The questions cover bookings, main concerns, projected Christmas performance 2024 and plans for investment. There is also the opportunity to feedback any key issues […]

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Campaign Success

20 Nov 2024

Research has shown that Do Durham Differently, Visit County Durham's national destination marketing campaign, contributed an estimated £103m in visitor spend - over 8% of the county's total annual economic impact. The campaign, which ran from autumn 2023 to spring 2024, was delivered in partnership with the County's tourism businesses and featured high profile marketing […]

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Suppliers to industry

Shout Loud Social

Shout Loud Social

We aim to simplify digital marketing for businesses by providing comprehensive services all in one place. Based at Ushaw House on the outskirts of Durham City, our team specialises in a wide range of services, including: Our approach is designed to alleviate the burden on business owners and senior leadership teams who may find digital […]

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Pascal Fintoni & Associates

Pascal Fintoni & Associates

Are you a Hospitality or Tourism Business in County Durham Looking to Stand Out? Are you ready to transform the reputation of your business with smart AI and digital marketing strategies?Could your marketing campaigns benefit from expert guidance to enhance visibility and drive bookings? That's where I can help. I'm Pascal Fintoni, and for over […]

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Calder's Kitchen

Calder's Kitchen

Calder's Kitchen was formed by Andrew Calder in 2015. We started making Piccalilli in our family kitchen after discovering Andrew's late Granddad, Charlie's favourite family recipe and deciding to 'give it a go'. After quickly realising our classic, traditional condiment was vastly different from modern day mainstream piccalilli we developed our Chillililli - piccalilli with […]

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Towergate Insurance Brokers

Towergate Insurance Brokers

Towergate have been insuring businesses in the North East of England since 1973. With our expertise in the Leisure and Hospitality Sectors, we have been offering both packaged and bespoke risk management and insurance solutions to businesses of all sizes for decades.  Whatever your business, it is essential to carry out a periodic review of […]

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Visit County Durham latest

Do Durham Differently Delivers Great Results

Do Durham Differently Delivers Great Results

Research has shown that Do Durham Differently, Visit County Durham’s national destination marketing campaign, contributed an estimated £103m in visitor spend – over 8% of the county’s total annual economic impact. The campaign, which ran from autumn 2023 to spring 2024, was delivered in partnership with the tourism industry and featured high profile marketing activity […]

Read More about Do Durham Differently Delivers Great Results
Durham and Spain lead the way in walking route partnership

Durham and Spain lead the way in walking route partnership

The partnership between Durham and north west Spain strengthened this week, as representatives from A Coruña Provincial Council visited the county. The region-to-region partnership, which has been in place for several years, aims to promote the English Way, or Camino Ingles, pilgrimage route and the Northern Saints Trails. Highlighting the connections between County Durham and […]

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VCD Blog - A summer of success

VCD Blog - A summer of success

As the signs of autumn begin to show the Visit County Durham team is reflecting on a summer that has seen a number of successful activities take place, driving visitor numbers, supporting partners and raising the county’s profile in the UK and overseas. The team kicked off the summer with a trip to North Yorkshire […]

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Boost for Durham as new developments drive growth in the visitor economy

Boost for Durham as new developments drive growth in the visitor economy

Latest tourism figures show a major boost for Durham’s economy as the county builds on its bumper £1bn milestone achieved in 2022, with new attractions playing a key role in helping the county reach a new record.

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