Industry News

We’re looking back at how the ongoing pandemic impacted what consumers searched for on thisisdurham.com, the county’s official tourism website, and what pages proved to be the most popular last year. We’re looking back at how the ongoing pandemic impacted what consumers searched for on thisisdurham.com, the county’s official tourism website, and what pages proved to be the most popular last year.

January

As 2021 began, most of our website visitors were looking to make a fresh start, get outdoors and explore the county, as the country entered a third national lockdown on 6 January. The top viewed pages, and most searched for items on the website throughout January all included walking. The dedicated walking in Durham landing page was the top overall visited page. Derwent Reservoir and Beamish Woods Circular Walks were also very popular pages, showing visitors were blowing the cobwebs away by staying close to home and exploring Durham’s many outdoor hidden gems.

February

As lockdown resections continued throughout February, website visitors were once again searching for things to do in Durham’s great outdoors. February 2021’s top pages were clearly different from 2020, when most visitors were searching for what’s on, top events and eating out. Throughout February the top pages were walking routes, High Force Waterfall and Hunting for Seaham Sea Glass, continuing the outdoor trend. 

March

In the month that the ‘stay at home’ order ended there was a sudden growth in people searching for things to do and events. The top viewed pages included Easter Events and Things to Do in Durham. However, as the country was still encouraged to stay local, many visitors remained cautious and searched for things to do in the outdoors, reflected in the other top viewed pages, Walking Routes and hunting for Seaham sea glass.

April

April saw the long-awaited re-opening of non-essential shops, museums, pubs, restaurants and self-contained holiday accommodation, which was reflected in the top page Things to Do. Walking Routes page also remained very popular, as even more people searched for walks to enjoy in the warm spring weather.

During April the online Spring Fayre was also launched. Similar to the online Winter Fayre, this additional activity helped support the businesses which had to remain closed to the public during lockdown by encouraging visitors to shop local. The fayre featured four themed areas showcasing ideas for getaways and days out to look forward to, Durham-themed gifts and food and drink from local producers available to order online for collection or delivery.

May

The most visited page on the site during May was Durham Attractions, as website visitors began to seek out different places they could visit now most indoor and outdoor attractions had re-opened fully, and traffic to the website started to increase once more. The dedicated Walking in Durham and Things to Do page also remained popular.

June

Throughout June as the weather started to warm up, people continued to look for safe outdoor experiences to enjoy. From coast to countryside, the most visited pages included High Force Waterfall, Durham Attractions, and our popular blog on how to hunt for Seaham’s famous sea glass.

Towards the end of the month our national campaign in partnership with Visit England, ‘Escape the Everyday’ launched, as well as a new online Escape Room, designed in partnership with Durham Escapes Rooms. 

July

Our national marketing campaign ‘Escape the Everyday’ landing page was the top viewed page throughout July. The campaign aimed to boost tourism across the shoulder season and beyond, encouraging consumers to book a short break in the county by showcasing the breadth of experiences available for them to escape to, from our vibrant city, to breathtaking countryside and coast. With summer about to get into full swing, and most legal limits on social contact now removed, things to do and Durham Attractions remained in the top three pages.

August

August was all about events, as families searched for things to keep the kids entertained throughout the summer holidays. What’s On was the top viewed page, followed closely by Durham Attractions and Things to Do.

September

Throughout the month things to do and events remained popular with website visitors. Five of the top ten pages and the majority of search terms were event related. Shildon Monster Truck Show was huge hit, making the top five pages and most viewed event listing.

October

The Halloween events page was the most visited page on the site and top searched for term, as families looked for safe Halloween events to enjoy during half term. As excitement started to build, people’s attention moved to planning for the return of Lumiere – the UK’s top light art festival. The Lumiere Durham page was in the top three pages as visitors began to plan their Lumiere visit in November. 

November

As the month began, Lumiere remained the top page as the countdown to the light festival continued, followed closely by Seaham Fireworks event listing, which proved to be the most popular fireworks event with visitors.

It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas from mid-November, as attention turned to festive events and activities. Christmas events in Durham was the most visited page, which highlighted the amazing range of events visitors could enjoy in person this year.

December

Christmas events continued to be popular as people looked for safe ways to enjoy the festive season. Christmas markets and Christmas events related keywords made up most website searches. December also saw the launch of our new Advent Calendar, the most popular page of the month.

The online “12 days of Durham” advent calendar was launched to support many of the county’s tourism and hospitality businesses, featuring a different special discount or competition behind each door, each open for a limited amount of time. The online advent calendar received well over 7500 page views and 3187 competition entries.