Plea to improve County Durham’s appeal as a tourist destination

Officials at Visit County Durham, the region’s tourism body, were told it isn’t being properly marketed as a tourist destination to attract new visitors. 

The latest data from 2024 recorded 21.56 million visitors, generating £1.38 billion for the tourist economy, but councillors have told officials to improve the number of people staying overnight. 

Just 1.64 million overnight visitors were recorded in the same period. 

Councillor Kenny Hope, Reform member for Delves Lane, urged the region’s tourism body and its partners to work proactively.

He said: “County Durham is a beautiful county and we don’t sell it enough and we don’t sell it properly. We have the UNESCO Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty North Pennines, Low Force and High Force, and the Derwent Valley. 

“We need to tap into our rural areas. 

“I caravan a lot and travel to the Lake District and there is a lot of stuff there that we are lacking in County Durham.  

“If there was something on the Pennines, I would use it and other people would too.”

The comments came during a council debate on the region’s tourism economy. 

In 2024, 2.9 million people visited the Durham Dales area of the county, but it was the Vale of Durham area, which includes Beamish, Locomotion and Bishop Auckland, that attracted the most visitors. 

Cllr Hope added: “People in Newcastle, Sunderland, and Durham want to get into the rural areas, which are a great place to take families. We need to look at investing in the outdoor economy, such as mountain biking, canoeing and kayaking. It needs to be promoted better than it is. 

“We need to invest in our areas when it comes to tourism. If we don’t, we will just sit on our hands and nothing will happen. 

The rise in visitors has had a significant positive economic impact on Durham’s coastal areas, rising 16.1 per cent to generate £206.45 million, thanks to increased day visits. 

But Cllr Dawn Bellingham, Reform member for Horden and Dene House, said the County Durham coastline should receive more marketing attention. 

“I don’t think it’s been concentrated on enough,” she said, “I resided in Northumberland and we are missing a trick.”

Cllr Bellingham added: There are lots of people who come to visit the wildlife and sealife on the coastline. There are lots of places for people to stay in Northumberland near the coast, and that is definitely something we can improve on. 

Michelle Gorman, managing director at Visit Durham, said the lack of visitor accommodation in the area means people aren’t staying longer. 

She told the meeting: “We have a fabulous coastline and much has been done over the last 20 years to improve it. The coast is one of our fastest-growing areas. The challenge that we have is the lack of visitor accommodation.” 

A 400m buffer zone is currently in place along the Durham Coast to protect wildlife and sealife and prevent developments. 

“To get any visitor accommodation is really challenging,” Ms Gorman added. 

“We are trying to get more family-friendly accommodation because the coast gets really busy with day visitors.”