Media Room
Latest News
All the latest news from the Industry and the Visit County Durham Grapevine newsletter.
City of Culture bid continues
23 Mar 2022
Great news for County Durham and the wider North East England as the county moved a step closer to securing UK City of Culture 2025. DCMS announced late last Friday night that County Durham was one of just four locations from across the UK to be shortlisted for the prestigious title out of the...
Read More about City of Culture bid continuesEnglish Tourism Week 2022
23 Mar 2022
This week is English Tourism Week, an opportunity to celebrate and champion our amazing tourism businesses. This year's theme is "You're Welcome" to send the message that everyone working in tourism and the visitor economy is ready and willing to welcome visitors back after the trials of the past...
Read More about English Tourism Week 2022Hopes for Durham2025
16 Mar 2022
Tree of Hope, created by digital studio Tekja and produced for Lumiere by Artichoke with support from Visit County Durham, has returned as part of County Durham's bid to be UK City of Culture 2025. People with a connection to the county are invited to open the interactive tree and share...
Read More about Hopes for Durham2025Increase your distribution
16 Mar 2022
Tourism Exchange Great Britain (TXGB) has announced partnerships with Airbnb and Spektrix. This means businesses using TXGB can now opt in to the Airbnb channel, and businesses using the Spektrix ticketing system can enjoy real-time integration with other distribution opportunities including...
Read More about Increase your distributionWell done Matthew!
9 Mar 2022
Many congratulations to Matthew Henderson, Product Development Manager at our Strategic Partner Beamish, The Living Museum of the North who recently won Rising Star and Overall Winner awards at the Cultural Enterprises Awards 2022 held at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow. Wonderful...
Read More about Well done Matthew!Showcasing the county
9 Mar 2022
Visit County Durham will be attending and promoting the county at the travel industry's leading media event, International Media Marketplace (IMM), being held at the QEII Centre, London on 14th and 15th March. IMM is a fantastic way to meet travel media representatives and a great opportunity for...
Read More about Showcasing the countyWelcome Hannah!
2 Mar 2022
The Bowes Museum has announced that Hannah Fox will take up the role of Director in May 2022. Hannah brings a wealth of experience to the Museum combining cross-sector knowledge, together with a passion for enabling access to museums for all people. She has been an Advisory Board member for...
Read More about Welcome Hannah!Annual Visitor Attractions Survey
2 Mar 2022
The VisitEngland Annual Attractions Survey is now live. This year's survey is particularly important as it will help VisitEngland understand the impact of the pandemic on the attractions sector in 2021 and inform industry and government about trends in the attractions' industry in England. If...
Read More about Annual Visitor Attractions SurveyRemoval of COVID-19 restrictions
2 Mar 2022
Most COVID-19 guidance in England ended last Thursday 24th February. This means that businesses no longer need to do things such as ask people to show proof of negative testing, ask them to check-in, or keep records of customers, visitors and staff for 21 days to support NHS Test and Trace -...
Read More about Removal of COVID-19 restrictionsSave the date
28 Feb 2022
Save the date for our Product Knowledge event taking place at Hallgarth The Manor House Durham on Wednesday 30th March 2022. Hear the latest updates for the upcoming season from the county's top attractions and events as well as meet some of our Supplier Partners. Email invitations will be sent...
Read More about Save the dateNew global campaign launched
16 Feb 2022
As Britain gears up for a year of landmark events, VisitBritain has launched a new multi-million pound global campaign, 'Welcome to Another Side of Britain', to drive back inbound tourism. The campaign is targeting visitors that VisitBritain's consumer research shows have the greatest commitment...
Read More about New global campaign launchedTourism Sentiment Report
9 Feb 2022
The Visit County Durham commissioned Tourism Sentiment report for January is now available, providing valuable insights for the county's tourism businesses. The score measures Durham's ability to generate positive word of mouth about our tourism offer through online conversations. This month, key...
Read More about Tourism Sentiment ReportMake the most of Dark Skies
9 Feb 2022
Did you know that Durham has some of the darkest skies in mainland Britain and has 12 dark sky discovery sites which provide great, accessible views of the night sky? Visit County Durham is hosting an online business support webinar on Tuesday 8 March 2022 from 10am-12noon to help you understand...
Read More about Make the most of Dark SkiesFree digital courses
3 Feb 2022
New College Durham is delivering a range of free digital qualifications aimed at up skilling employees who live in Durham. The aim is to work closely with local employers to address digital skills gaps that you may have in your workforce. Employees can receive bespoke non-accredited training such...
Read More about Free digital coursesAdvertising opportunity
3 Feb 2022
VCD Supplier Partner, Durham OnAir is offering one month FREE advertising online and on DAB Radio across the North East with every on air advertising campaign sold lasting one month or more. Durham OnAir plays to thousands of locals online, and is available to over 380,000 adults in...
Read More about Advertising opportunity