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
Image Library

Image Library

The online media centre is free to use and allows you to access key photography and videography from across the county. All of which showcases the county’s many amazing attractions, food and drink experiences, breathtaking landscapes, fun things to do and more!

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

DDP update

8 Jan 2025

A reminder that the next Destination Development Partnership update is being held online on Thursday 16th January at 8:30am. This month we will be joined by tourism leaders from across the region as we delve into 2025 travel and tourism trends, take a look at the big events and major developments happening in the region and open […]

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Shortlists Announced

8 Jan 2025

Shortlists for the three new local categories of the North East England Tourism Awards have been announced. We are delighted that Kynren features in both the Volunteer of the Year and Tourism Events & Festival of the Year categories, and Durham Fire & Ice joins Kynren in the Tourism Events & Festival category. The awards ceremony […]

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Faith Museum takes Britain's most beautiful building title

24 Dec 2024

The Faith Museum in Bishop Auckland, has been awarded ‘Grand Winner’ in the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust’s 2024 Building Beauty Awards.  Designed by Níall McLaughlin, The Faith Museum opened to the public in October 2023 and is part of The Auckland Project’s collection of attractions, which have also been recognised for their architectural achievements […]

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Suppliers to industry

Screaming Chimp Chilli Sauce

Screaming Chimp Chilli Sauce

Screaming Chimp provide all natural, vegan friendly and naturally gluten free chilli sauces.  Hit the website at screamingchimp.com to #keeponchimpin

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The HUB & MINT Business Club

The HUB & MINT Business Club

The HUB Consett has a selection of training spaces available to hire. Once a month our sister company MINT Business Club uses our large training space for its own unique training program. MINT is a community of small like-minded business owners who want to run successful businesses and grow their businesses in the right way. […]

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Dalton Moor Farm - Vegan Fruit Farm

Dalton Moor Farm - Vegan Fruit Farm

Food & Drinks from Dalton Moor Farm Dalton Moor Farm produces Award Winning Apple Juice and Fruit Juices, Traditional ‘Real’ Cider, Apple Cider Vinegar, ‘Bee Free Vegan HUNNY’, a range of Fruit Jams, Chutneys and Marmalades, and herbal teas. We choose single-use-plastic-free packaging. All our products are made with fruits and herbs grown veganically on […]

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Grape Software

Grape Software

Grape Software is an innovative food technology company aiming to facilitate UK food hygiene inspections and help food businesses achieve higher standards of food hygiene and compliance. Our web-based software helps food businesses to: We can also offer: We are currently designing a further system that will enable you to digitise all the food safety […]

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Visit County Durham latest

VCD Blog - Working towards a more sustainable future

VCD Blog - Working towards a more sustainable future

As world leaders recently gathered in Baku for Cop29 it is a reminder of the ever-present threat of climate change and the need for us all to take action.  According to the World Economic Forum a recent study puts the tourism industry's impact at 8% of global carbon emissions. 

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Make your Next Stop Durham

Make your Next Stop Durham

UK holiday makers are being urged to explore the beauty of their own country before jetting off to other destinations. A new campaign is highlighting why Durham should be at the top of everyone’s must visit list. Its unique and diverse experiences and world-class attractions make it the perfect...

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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 […]

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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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