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All the latest news from the Industry and the Visit County Durham Grapevine newsletter.

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Format: 29-12-2023

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Format: 30-12-2023

Industry

Dalton Park toasts record breaking 2022

12 Jan 2023

Dalton Park Outlet Shopping Destination ended 2022 on a high with a record year for sales. Like for like sales across the year were up 14.5 percent vs 2019, the last comparable year due to the pandemic. The results come following an incredible 2022 for the outlet shopping destination as it bounced...

Visit County Durham

Save the Date

12 Jan 2023

Save the date for English Tourism Week: Friday 17th to Sunday 26th March 2023. ETW highlights the importance, value and vast contribution the sector makes to the UK economy. The week provides an essential opportunity to raise the awareness of the visitor economy to key stakeholders - in 2019,...

Industry

Inbound Tourism Forecast

12 Jan 2023

VisitBritain has published the 2023 forecast for inbound visits and spend which shows that spending by international visitors in the UK is forecast to reach £29.5 billion, up 4% on the all-time spending high of £28.4 billion in 2019. Overseas visits to the UK are predicted to rise to 35.1...

Visit County Durham

Durham Pocket Guide 2023

12 Jan 2023

Work is now underway in conjunction with our publishing partner, Offstone, to create the 2023 edition of the Durham Pocket Guide, with Visit County Durham partners able to benefit from exclusive discounted rates. 125,000 copies will be distributed across the region from early May, encouraging...

Visit County Durham

Devolution deal for North East

12 Jan 2023

Plans to bring billions of pounds and more power to North East England have been outlined by the Government. The new deal, which is subject to a governance review and public consultation, offers a potential £4.2 billion of investment and would see the formation of a new combined authority, headed...

Industry

Rising to the challenge together

11 Jan 2023

Growing Durham’s visitor economy is a key priority for Visit County Durham. Here two of the destination management organisation’s board directors give their insights into the importance of investing in tourism and why a partnership approach is always best. With a wealth of experience in...

Visit County Durham

The Year in Search

21 Dec 2022

Throughout 2022 significant events continued to impact the county's visitor economy, from the lifting of final Covid restrictions to the cost-of-living crisis. Find out how these events, and more, affected what consumers were searching for on thisisdurham.com, the county’s official tourism...

Industry

A66 update

19 Dec 2022

National Highways has issued a December update for the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project. It includes information about the milestones the team have reached over the last few months as well as what will be happening next year. If planning is approved, the project will start in 2024 and will dual...

Industry

PAM Assist

19 Dec 2022

PAM Assist, supported by Durham County Council, provides businesses in the county with access to a free, confidential assistance programme for their employees. With ever-increasing pressures at work and home, there are times when we all need some extra support to balance the demands of everyday...

Visit County Durham

Awards success!

19 Dec 2022

Last week, the Northern Echo County Durham Together Awards, held in partnership with Durham County Council, took place at Ramside Hall. Visit County Durham sponsored the Visitor Economy Award which recognises an individual, organisation or business who has played a vital role in promoting the...

Visit County Durham

Campaign update

19 Dec 2022

As part of the Memorable Moments destination marketing campaign, Visit County Durham commissioned and hosted three award-winning influencers to create videos showcasing their own memorable moments in the county, covering heritage, outdoors, family fun and culture. The videos are a great promotional...

Industry

Reopening date confirmed for Bishop Auckland’s Park Head Hotel

19 Dec 2022

The Auckland Project has announced the much-anticipated reopening date for the Park Head Hotel and Restaurant in Bishop Auckland. The regeneration charity, which works to bring about positive and lasting change for those living, working and visiting Bishop Auckland, purchased the popular hotel and...

Visit County Durham

Closing date reminder

7 Dec 2022

A reminder that trader applications for Bishop Auckland Food Festival are open until January 10th 2023. Spaces are limited and some categories are very busy. The food festival will return to the town's Market Place on Saturday 22nd April and Sunday 23th April 2023.

Visit County Durham

Tourism Sentiment Report

7 Dec 2022

The Visit County Durham commissioned Tourism Sentiment report for November 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, the...

Industry

‘Tis the season to celebrate sustainably - Dalton Park ‘switches on’ to sugarcane and recycled bottles

5 Dec 2022

Dalton Park is living its sustainable values this Christmas with incredible festive displays made from sugar cane and recycled bottles. A giant light-up polar bear, Santa's selfie sleigh, a 6-metre Christmas tree and a sparkly, snowflake-filled walk-through arch are entirely recyclable and...