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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

Beamish named region’s most visited attraction and among top nationally

15 Jul 2024

Beamish, The Living Museum of the North has been named the North East’s most visited attraction and among the top in the country, in a new VisitEngland report. The museum’s visitor numbers increased to 801,756 in 2023, making it top in the region and the 17th most visited paid-for attraction...

Industry

Curtain comes down on Durham Brass Festival 2024

15 Jul 2024

World Heritage Site Durham Cathedral, care homes, schools, market places, parks and all manner of other venues. All have resonated with the joyous sounds of live music, singing, chat and laughter; and witnessed dancing aplenty and smiles galore. Over the course of a week, Durham Brass Festival 2024...

Industry

Auckland Castle, Auckland Tower and Faith Museum named amongst best buildings in the UK

15 Jul 2024

Auckland Castle, Auckland Tower and the Faith Museum in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, have been named amongst the UK’s best new buildings in this year’s RIBA National Awards. The RIBA’s awards programme recognises the UK’s best new architecture and 26 winners have been selected for 2024,...

Industry

Viking invasion hits Bishop Auckland ahead of Kynren 2024 show

12 Jul 2024

Full of sparks, sword fights and sheep, Kynren’s cast and crew is putting together the finishing touches at its pre-show entertainment experience for its 2024 season. Audiences at this year’s Kynren in County Durham will encounter Return of The Vikings, a new experience featuring an authentic...

Visit County Durham

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

12 Jul 2024

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.

Visit Website

Industry

Locomotion will host a spectacular six-week summer festival, including a four-week visit from iconic locomotive Flying Scotsman.

12 Jul 2024

Locomotion will host a spectacular six-week summer festival, including a four-week visit from iconic locomotive Flying Scotsman. Summer at Locomotion will take place from 20 July to 1 September, with Flying Scotsman in residence from 20 July to 18 August. Flying...

Industry

1950s cinema and shops now open at Beamish Museum

8 Jul 2024

A 1950s cinema, toy shop, electrical shop and record store have opened to visitors at Beamish, The Living Museum of the North today (6th July). The new 1950s Town exhibits include a recreation of the Grand cinema, from Ryhope, in Sunderland; a toy shop named after Romer Parrish in Middlesbrough; A...

Industry

Warriors prepare for battle during Kynren rehearsals in County Durham

4 Jul 2024

Kynren’s cast and crew have been training with the show’s experienced choreographers to master the art of war ahead of the first show on Saturday 27th July. Volunteers involved in combat scenes help to tell the epic tale of England which follows 2,000 years of history on...

Industry

Visitor Ready

3 Jul 2024

VisitEngland and The AA have launched Visitor Ready which empowers you to showcase your commitment to compliance with core standards, to assure customers you have the necessary checks in place. Visitor Ready is free and managed online, so make sure you sign-up today and give your customers...

Industry

Green Tourism Workshop

3 Jul 2024

Green Tourism and Destination North East England are hosting a Green Tourism Business Engagement Webinar for all visitor economy, meetings and events businesses in the region on Tuesday 16th July between 11am-12pm. Find out about the Green Tourism/Meetings programme and how your business can...

Industry

Traders announced for Seaham Food Festival

3 Jul 2024

From loaded mac and cheese, Mediterranean mezze, to creamy cheesecakes and sweet treats, the traders have been announced for Seaham Food Festival. Durham County Council has confirmed that more than 120 traders will be setting up shop along Seaham’s coastline on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4...

Industry

Tourism awards masterclass

26 Jun 2024

We are pleased to offer businesses looking to submit an application to the Tourism Awards 2025 the chance to hear from tourism expert Nell Barrington at a FREE online application masterclass taking place on Wednesday 10th July between 2:30pm and 3:30pm. If you have questions about the Tourism...

Industry

Travel trade workshops

26 Jun 2024

Join travel industry expert, Mike Newman for FREE introductory workshops on how the travel trade can support the growth of your business. The workshops will take you through what it means to be "Travel Trade Ready" and how businesses can maximise the potential of the international visitor....

Industry

TXGB and Guestline

26 Jun 2024

TXGB is now available as part of the new Distribution Hub (extended channels) option within Guestline. Any Guestline businesses looking to connect to TXGB to drive direct sales from thisisdurham.com can now enable this feature by simply speaking to their Guestline account manager to request...

Industry

Auckland Castle hosts rare European masterpieces

25 Jun 2024

An intriguing new exhibition opening at Auckland Castle this summer will unveil rarely seen European masterpieces. From 6 July, paintings by Dutch and Flemish masters such as Rembrandt, David Teniers and Paulus Potter will feature alongside Spanish, French and Italian works in an exhibition...