Latest tourism figures show a major boost for Durham’s economy as the county builds on its bumper £1bn milestone achieved in 2022 and new attractions helping set a new record.
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 18.8% in 2023, with the value of the county’s visitor economy hitting £1.23bn.
Overall, 20.15 million people visited the county last year, an increase of 12.5%.
The number of people employed in tourism has also grown, up by 12.4% to 13,178.
It is welcome news as visitor numbers and employment have now exceeded pre-pandemic figures for the first time.
