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Lisa Cartwright

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Bumper investment drives continued growth for Durham’s visitor economy

Visit County Durham STEAM Results 2025 Anna Warnecke and Cllr Lyndsey Fox

Latest tourism figures show a major boost for Durham’s visitor economy as the county sees overall visitor expenditure rise to a record £1.38billion, with the number of day visitors now 7.6% higher than pre pandemic figures, and overnight visitors also rising by 1.8%.

Visit County Durham, the county’s Destination Management Organisation and Durham County Council’s tourism service, has welcomed the results which show visitor expenditure rose by 11.7% in 2024, with the value of the county’s visitor economy reaching record levels for the third year in a row.

Overall, 21.56 million people visited the county last year, an increase of 7%. The number of people employed in tourism in Durham has also risen and is up by 4.7% according to the latest STEAM* results.

The major study which tracked visitors to the region throughout 2024 has shown an increase in the number of people staying overnight and has highlighted the county as the only area in the North East to see a rise in overall visitor numbers.

Significant levels of investment in the county’s visitor offer have helped to drive this continued growth, whilst marketing campaigns and strategic partnerships have raised the profile and appeal of the county on a global scale. New and enhanced visitor attractions have played a major part in this success with the New Hall expansion at Locomotion, the transformation of Raby Castle’s Rising development, new experiences at Beamish Museum and developments at The Auckland Project.

With even more investment and developments in the pipeline, including major investment in our hotels, Redhills Durham Miners Hall and plans for a historical theme park at Kynren, the sector is looking to the future with optimism.

From high-profile events and cultural programmes at major attractions to vibrant grassroots festivals and community celebrations, Durham offers year-round reasons to visit, with experiences that reflect the county’s rich heritage, creativity, and warm welcome.

Duncan Peake, Chair of Visit County Durham and CEO of Raby Estates said: “These results illustrate the ambition and resilience of the county’s visitor economy. We have not only survived the challenges of the last few years but have emerged much stronger.

We continue to see new developments take shape across the county and wider region, as well as continuing to reap the rewards of recent investment. However, we must not slow down, we must keep moving forward at pace to ensure the county’s visitor economy continues to prosper, which in turn creates jobs and opportunities for residents.”

Cllr Lyndsey Fox, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “We are thrilled with the latest economic assessment STEAM results, which are testament to the incredible partnerships across the county that are committed to working together to grow our visitor economy. Durham continues to grow as an exciting and attractive visitor destination and has greatly benefited from new developments over recent years, and with more to come it puts us in a strong position for 2025 and beyond.”

Jane Ruffer, co-founder of The Auckland Project, said: “These results are a powerful endorsement of the vision and long-term investment that have gone into County Durham’s visitor economy. At The Auckland Project, we’ve experienced first-hand how cultural regeneration and community-led programming can reinvigorate a place and attract both day and overnight visitors. The continued growth in visitor numbers and expenditure is not only good news for our sector but for the communities and local businesses that benefit from this shared success. It’s a clear signal that County Durham’s heritage, creativity and hospitality are resonating with people like never before.”

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National newspaper names Durham as one of the happiest places to live in Britain

Durham City drone image

The Guardian’s happiest places to live in Britain revealed.

Durham City has been ranked as one of the happiest places to live in Britain.  Journalists at The Guardian used scientific data to work out the happiest places to live taking into account a number of social factors including easy access to countryside and parks, the ability to see a GP and even proximity to shops. Durham’s medieval streets and confined geography were listed as some of its highlights.

Find out more on The Guardian’s website.

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Former Unilever CEO opens Durham University business school

Durham University Business School

A new university business school facility has been opened by a former Unilever CEO.

Paul Polman, a global business leader and environmentalist, officially opened Durham University Business School’s new Waterside building.

At the opening, Mr Polman addressed the audience of business leaders, academics, and policy leaders, highlighting the ‘extraordinary disruption’ the world is facing and the need for a shift in leadership mindset.

He said: “I would argue we are short of the right leaders we need to succeed – and that’s where you come in.

“It’s in the rough seas where you learn leadership.

“Here at Durham, you already punch above your weight.

“With the opening of this wonderful Waterside building, you are setting yourselves up very well for success.”

Mr Polman, who was previously the chief executive of Unilever, called for business leaders to adopt a ‘net positive’ mindset, asking not ‘how can I do less harm?’ but ‘how can I do more good?’

The Waterside building, which has achieved a Gold SKA rating for sustainability, is located in the heart of Durham city, close to the railway station and city centre.

The new facility complements the existing Mill Hill Lane facility and includes lecture theatres, a financial trading lab with Bloomberg terminals, executive facilities, offices, study spaces, and a Riverfront Bistro.

Durham University Business School, established in 1965, is among the top one per cent of business schools worldwide with triple accreditation from AACSB, AMBA, and Equis.

It delivers research and education in finance, leadership, and sustainability, and has nearly 400 business partnerships.

The opening event was attended by leaders from business, politics, academia, and civic society.

Mr Polman gave the keynote address, with contributions from Professor O’Brien, and Professors Cathy Cassell and Kieran Fernandes, the outgoing and incoming executive deans of Durham University Business School, respectively.

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Exciting new Story launched for Durham

People stood in front of the Durham Story board and banners

An exciting new approach to promoting the county was unveiled yesterday (18 March), with over 80 stakeholders attending the launch of the ‘Durham Story’.

The event, hosted by Durham County Council and Durham University at Gala Durham, was the culmination of a 12-month project which has seen engagement with hundreds of stakeholders from across the region, to identify a compelling new proposition for the county which will showcase Durham on a global scale.

Spearheaded by Durham County Council, Durham University, Visit County Durham and Business Durham, this new approach will see organisations and individuals join forces and unite behind the brand to build the county’s image, identity and reputation, and harness profile-raising opportunities to reach key audiences.

With a clear and consistent approach across multiple sectors, the Durham story will enable the county to engage and inspire potential investors, businesses, students and visitors, whilst instilling pride in our resident and business communities.

The Durham story is an extraordinary blend of beauty, enterprise, heritage, culture and ambition, found in all four corners of the county. It shines a light on what makes us special, the distinctiveness and character of Durham, and the opportunities for the growth, development and promotion of the county. Embodied by four key strands, the Durham story was introduced at the event by private and public sector partners.

Professor Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University introduced the overarching theme for Durham, which sees us confidently championing our regional, national and international role.

Jim Cokill, trust director of Durham Wildlife Trust spoke about the ‘natural lifestyle’ strand – our incredible green and blue spaces, nature and wildlife, and the many ways in which they positively impact residents, businesses, visitors and students. ‘Contemporising and connecting our culture’ is the second strand, highlighting the county’s world-class culture and how it’s brought to life for today’s audiences, which was introduced by Hannah Fox, executive director of The Bowes Museum. The ‘space to innovate and grow’ strand, which focuses on the county as a place for business as well as our strengths within the space industry, was introduced by Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek. With the final strand of the Durham story, ‘a special city that attracts and radiates’, focussing on the pivotal role the city plays as an attractor for the wider county, was introduced by Emma Gaudern, CEO of EMG Solicitors.

Also announced at the event was the Durham Champions initiative, which will see an exciting new network of individuals helping to shine a light on the county through their own activities, supporting the promotion of the county in a consistent and compelling way.

Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council, said: “County Durham is an amazing place with so much to offer, whether as a place to live, visit, work or invest. And, while we might be tempted to keep it for ourselves, encouraging others to discover what our area has to offer is vital for our future prosperity.

“We want people to think of County Durham when they are looking for somewhere to visit, to know that there are thousands of great job opportunities here and to make us their first choice when looking to set up home. And we want investors to be very clear that we offer a brilliant place to do business.

“The place brand will help us achieve this by cementing the good work that has already been done to develop County Durham’s reputation, through further raising the area’s profile and supporting our economic and social growth.”

Professor Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University added:

“The University works closely with our partner organisations on many projects to benefit the growth, development and promotion of our city, county and region. We very much look forward to strengthening these connections and to highlighting even more prominently all that makes Durham special, telling our powerful story regionally, nationally and globally.”

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New collaboration seeks to attract French visitors to North East England

A family on a bike ride at Raby Castle

Newcastle Airport and destination development partnership, Destination North East England have collaborated with Expedia Group on a new campaign targeting visitors from France.

Capitalising on the new easyJet route between Paris and Newcastle, the digital campaign aims to drive flight bookings, and overnight stays by highlighting the unique experiences visitors can take advantage of when visiting the North East of England.

From coast to countryside, unique historical landmarks, and a standout food & drink offer, experiential activities will inspire French travellers and experience seekers to explore the North East.

This campaign will also amplify the emerging trend of screen tourism, with VisitBritain having launched its own international ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ screen tourism campaign. VisitBritain’s campaign uses the powerful draw of film and TV locations and places seen-on-screen to inspire international visitors to discover more of Britain.

The market will be reached through a digital campaign including onsite media, paid display and paid social media content driving traffic to a dedicated Expedia webpage. The campaign will be able to track hotel and flight bookings, giving the ability to directly link campaign outputs and impact on inbound passengers coming via the easyJet Paris route to Newcastle Airport.

This campaign is being delivered in partnership with Newcastle Airport, NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI), Sunderland City Council, Visit County Durham and Visit Northumberland on behalf of Destination North East England.

John Marshall, Chair of Destination North East England, said:

“Our aim is to double the value of the visitor economy in 10 years and the only way we can achieve this ambition is to tap into international markets and increase overnight stays. Together with our regional partners, we are working to showcase our offer internationally and grow our visitor economy which will have a positive impact for both our industry and our people. We are very excited about working with online travel company, Expedia to showcase the diversity of our region’s experiences – encouraging visitors to stay for longer.  This campaign is testament to what can be achieved when you collaborate and work together towards a common goal – a huge thank you to everyone involved.”

Alice Andreasen, Chief Sustainability & Communications Officer, Newcastle International Airport, said:

“easyJet’s continued investment in the Airport and introduction of new, low-cost routes to key destinations in Europe provides a fantastic opportunity to increase the number of inbound visitors to our region.

“We have been working closely with the region’s destination marketing organisations for many years to promote the North East overseas, and this is another example of how collaborative working can benefit our whole region – with increasing visitor numbers boosting the local economy.”

Rob Torres, Senior Vice President, Expedia Group Media Solutions, said:

“We’re excited to team up with Destination North East England to bring more French visitors to this incredible part of the country, especially with the new Newcastle-Paris airline route making it more accessible than ever. By blending traditional onsite ads with engaging social media content, we’re showcasing the region’s beauty in a way that really connects with French travellers. Plus, with our industry leading measurement and reporting, we’re giving them the insights they need to see the real impact – more interest, more bookings, and more visitors exploring all that North East England has to offer.”

Destination North East England is led by NGI on behalf of the region, working with delivery partners Visit Northumberland and Visit County Durham and in partnership with all seven local authorities to unlock the growth potential of the visitor economy.