Visit County Durham marks 20 years as visitor economy reaches record £1.48 billion

Visit County Durham is celebrating its 20th anniversary after helping transform the county into one of England’s leading visitor destinations, as new figures reveal County Durham welcomed its highest ever number of visitors in 2025 and remains the most visited destination in the North East.

The latest STEAM tourism research shows County Durham attracted a record 21.98 million visitors in 2025, an increase of eight per cent on the previous year. Visitor expenditure reached an all-time high of £1.48 billion, while the sector now supports more than 14,000 jobs across the county.

The figures represent a remarkable transformation since Visit County Durham was established in 2006. At that time, the county welcomed 17.4 million visitors, generating around £600 million for the local economy and supporting 12,100 full-time equivalent jobs.

Over the past two decades, Visit County Durham has played a leading role in developing the county’s visitor economy, bringing together tourism businesses, partners and stakeholders to build a stronger, more competitive destination while raising County Durham’s profile nationally and internationally.

Among its key achievements have been the launch of the county’s first Destination Management Plan, the creation of the Taste Durham food and drink initiative, the introduction of the first dedicated tourism website and unified destination brand and securing national recognition from VisitEngland as one of England’s leading destination brands and being one of the first three accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnerships.

Throughout its history, Visit County Durham has also helped the tourism sector navigate major challenges including the global financial crisis, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, providing business support, marketing campaigns and strategic leadership to help the industry recover and grow.

Today, the organisation continues to lead destination development through partnership working, business support, research, destination marketing and investment in high-profile campaigns that showcase everything County Durham has to offer.

Most recently, the successful Next Stop Durham campaign reached more than 18 million people through advertising across the London Underground and East Coast Main Line, alongside national media partnerships, influencer activity and press visits, helping generate an estimated £165 million in visitor spending. And product development initiatives, such as the Northern Saints Trails, led by Visit County Durham, have created experiences that attract new audiences.

The county’s tourism offer has also been strengthened over the past 20 years through sustained private and public sector investment, with world-class attractions, accommodation and experiences growing the county’s appeal even further.

Councillor Karen Allison, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Tourism, Regeneration and High Street said: ‘For 20 years Visit County Durham has worked alongside businesses, and partners to showcase everything that makes our county such a special place to visit. Today’s record visitor numbers and spending demonstrate not only the strength of County Durham’s tourism offer, but also the importance of partnership working. Tourism supports thousands of jobs, brings significant investment into our communities and helps our market towns, countryside, coastline and cultural attractions thrive. As we celebrate this milestone, we are also looking to the future, continuing to build on our success and ensuring County Durham remains one of the UK’s leading visitor destinations.’

Michelle Groman, managing director Visit County Durham said: ‘When Visit County Durham was established in 2006, our ambition was to unite the sector, create a strong destination identity and grow the visitor economy for the benefit of everyone who lives and works here. Twenty years later, we’ve seen the value of tourism almost double, welcomed millions more visitors and created thousands of jobs for our residents which has helped establish County Durham as the most visited destination in the North East. These achievements belong to our tourism businesses, partners and communities as much as they do to Visit County Durham. Together we’ve built a resilient, ambitious visitor economy and we’re excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.’

As Visit County Durham enters its third decade, it will continue working with businesses and partners, regionally, nationally and internationally, to grow the visitor economy sustainably, attract new investment and ensure tourism continues to deliver economic, social and cultural benefits across the county.