Beamish Museum is delighted to be working with Visit County Durham as they launch a major national destination marketing campaign to inspire consumers to make Durham their next stop for a staycation, positioning the county as a must-visit destination for UK holidaymakers.
Running from autumn 2025 to spring 2026, Visit County Durham’s ‘Next Stop, Durham’ campaign will highlight the county’s wealth of world-class attractions and events, outdoor adventures, hands-on history, and exceptional food and drink, and is designed to influence consumers to stop, stay, and explore everything the county has to offer.
Visit County Durham – Durham County Council’s tourism service – is delivering the campaign in partnership with visitor economy businesses. As well as Beamish, this includes The Auckland Project, Locomotion, Raby Estates, Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens, The Bowes Museum, and Dalton Park, with additional support from accommodation providers Lumley Castle, Seaham Hall Hotel, and Radisson Blu Durham.
It comes as last year’s campaign reached over 18m people and contributed an estimated £165m visitor spend – the Local Visitor Economy Partnership is confident in delivering even greater results in the future.
The new campaign taps into a key opportunity as many people travel through County Durham by road or rail on their way to well-known tourist destinations such as York, Edinburgh, or the Lake District. ‘Next Stop, Durham’ aims to change that as consumers are now actively looking for alternative locations and new experiences, making the county perfectly placed to capitalise as a rising star in the UK staycation market.
It is set to further support the strong performance of the county’s visitor economy, which generated a record £1.38 billion in 2024, an 11.7% increase on 2023. Latest figures show 8% of the county’s visitors staying overnight, but contributing 43% of all expenditure, which is why growing the volume of visitors staying for longer breaks is a key priority for the campaign. As part of Visit County Durham’s commitment to positioning the county as a year-round destination, the campaign aims to extend the visitor season—bringing long-term benefits to local businesses and communities.
Duncan Peake, Chair of Visit County Durham, said: “We’re proud to be part of this high-profile national campaign, working in partnership to benefit the county’s visitor economy. By teaming up with partners across the sector for the Next Stop Durham campaign, Visit County Durham can deliver additional, high-profile marketing activity that shines a light on just how much there is to do in County Durham. It is important to highlight the county’s visitor offer which includes award-winning attractions, incredible heritage and fantastic places to eat and drink.”
The Next Stop Durham campaign will reach audiences through national media partnerships and editorials, influencer campaigns, digital advertising across key platforms, and high-impact out-of-home advertising.
With strong partnerships, bold messaging, and a clear mission, Next Stop Durham is set to put the county firmly on the map for UK travellers looking for their next great escape.
The campaign comes as Beamish is celebrating being named Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025, the world’s largest museum prize. The other shortlisted museums, all highly commended by the judges, were: Chapter (Cardiff), Compton Verney (Warwickshire), Golden Thread Gallery (Belfast) and Perth Museum (Perth & Kinross).
The museum is also celebrating its 55th anniversary in 2025 and, in the past year, has completed its Remaking Beamish project, the biggest development in its 55-year history, which included the recreation of a 1950s Town, developed with community input from people with firsthand knowledge of the original spaces.