Following the exciting announcement this week of the opening event of the S&DR200 international festival, the 200^th anniversary of the journey that changed the world is being harnessed by Visit County Durham and Visit Tees Valley for an exciting new partnership.

The festival is providing the destination management organisations with a hook to promote their shared rail heritage, utilising the anniversary and festival programme to encourage longer stays in the region and to attract international visitors – a strategic priority for the North East.

By working in partnership, Visit County Durham and Visit Tees Valley are showcasing the region to international and national travel trade and media, along with consumers in the UK, Netherlands and US - where interest in rail heritage is high.

In January, the teams attended Vakantibeurs in Utrecht, the largest trade and consumer travel show in the Netherlands. Further activity is set to include media events in Dublin, London and Berlin, the British Tourism and Travel Show, and ITB – Europe’s largest travel trade showcase.

Michelle Gorman, managing director at Visit County Durham said: “Events and festivals create intent to travel, and can turn interest in a destination into a visit. By harnessing the appeal of S&DR200, we have been able to capitalise on the opportunity by undertaking new activity in partnership with Tees Valley, which will raise the region’s profile and appeal in key markets, not just during the festival year, but for years to come.”

Charlie Kemp, Tees Valley Combined Authority’s Head of Creative Place, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Visit County Durham to amplify the importance of this internationally significant festival across both of our regions – and go further to show how our part of the North East is a must-visit destination year-round. This is a prime opportunity to pool resources to deliver massive growth for our tourism, hospitality and culture sectors.”

Find out more about the region’s shared rail heritage.