Visit County Durham
Visit County Durham (VCD) is the destination management organisation for County Durham and one of a portfolio of nationally supported, strategic, and high-performing accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnerships. We provide strong local leadership and governance, and are committed to the promotion, management, and development of County Durham as a great place to live, work, visit and do business.
Visit County Durham works in partnership locally, regionally, and nationally on shared priorities and targets. Our mission is to support and grow the visitor economy through robust destination management, strong stakeholder relationships and clear planning.
Our vision is to create the conditions for our residents, businesses, and the environment to benefit from sustainable growth in our visitor economy. By supporting and marketing our distinctive heritage, landscapes, culture and warm welcome, we will grow both day and overnight visits and make County Durham a compelling, global destination for tourism, culture, and business.
Destination performance
20.15m
(Visitors Annually)
6.5m
(75 Attractions)
8%
(Overnight Stays)
13,178
(Jobs Within the Industry)
£1.23bn
(Annual Income)
Latest news
Trader Applications
6 Nov 2024
Bishop Auckland Food Festival will return on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th April, attracting thousands of visitors to the town for a weekend full of fun and food. Trader applications are now open for 2025 and vendors are being encouraged to express their interest early to ensure they do not miss out. Find out more […]
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County Durham’s Into the Light initiative announces first wave of creative commissions
4 Nov 2024
Twenty creative practitioners will have the opportunity to bring their work to life in County Durham, thanks to £70,000 of new commissions to enhance cultural participation in the county.   The innovative ‘Cultivate Commissions’ project offers a springboard to enable creative practitioners and arts organisations to develop their work with communities across County Durham. It […]
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New theatre company launches in Horden with talent from County Durham
4 Nov 2024
A new theatre group based in East Durham has launched with individuals from County Durham to form its company. Ensemble ‘84, a pioneering theatre company based in Horden, has hired 15 dedicated individuals across County Durham to undergo a paid, intensive training programme to become professional performers and present bold, new Theatre productions. The company […]
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Shout Loud Social
We aim to simplify digital marketing for businesses by providing comprehensive services all in one place. Based at Ushaw House on the outskirts of Durham City, our team specialises in a wide range of services, including: Our approach is designed to alleviate the burden on business owners and senior leadership teams who may find digital […]
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Pascal Fintoni & Associates
Are you a Hospitality or Tourism Business in County Durham Looking to Stand Out? Are you ready to transform the reputation of your business with smart AI and digital marketing strategies?Could your marketing campaigns benefit from expert guidance to enhance visibility and drive bookings? That's where I can help. I'm Pascal Fintoni, and for over […]
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Calder's Kitchen
Calder's Kitchen was formed by Andrew Calder in 2015. We started making Piccalilli in our family kitchen after discovering Andrew's late Granddad, Charlie's favourite family recipe and deciding to 'give it a go'. After quickly realising our classic, traditional condiment was vastly different from modern day mainstream piccalilli we developed our Chillililli - piccalilli with […]
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Towergate Insurance Brokers
Towergate have been insuring businesses in the North East of England since 1973. With our expertise in the Leisure and Hospitality Sectors, we have been offering both packaged and bespoke risk management and insurance solutions to businesses of all sizes for decades. Whatever your business, it is essential to carry out a periodic review of […]
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Visit County Durham latest
Durham and Spain lead the way in walking route partnership
The partnership between Durham and north west Spain strengthened this week, as representatives from A Coruña Provincial Council visited the county. The region-to-region partnership, which has been in place for several years, aims to promote the English Way, or Camino Ingles, pilgrimage route and the Northern Saints Trails. Highlighting the connections between County Durham and […]
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VCD Blog - A summer of success
As the signs of autumn begin to show the Visit County Durham team is reflecting on a summer that has seen a number of successful activities take place, driving visitor numbers, supporting partners and raising the county’s profile in the UK and overseas. The team kicked off the summer with a trip to North Yorkshire […]
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Boost for Durham as new developments drive growth in the visitor economy
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.
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Latest tourism figures for Durham build on bumper £1bn milestone
The latest STEAM* figures, which calculate the volume and value of the county’s visitor economy, show that Durham has continued to build on the bumper £1bn milestone achieved in 2022, with results showing expenditure rose by 18.8% in 2023, to £1.23bn. Overall, 20.15 million people visited the county, an increase of 12.5%. Durham also recorded […]
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