22 Mar 2013
Visit County Durham has launched their VIP Pass for 2013/14 during English Tourism Week (ETW) as a way to highlight the importance of tourism, a major contributor to the local economy.
Representatives of various attractions across Durham gathered for the launch in the grounds of Durham University's
Oriental Museum, who as well as participating in the Pass are hosting a short series of talks for ETW.
The VIP Pass is this year supported by nearly 30 businesses and organisations, with many of Durham's top attractions
offering free entry to showcase their tourism offer. The VIP Pass is, as the name suggests, not available to the general public, but is a vital tool in the marketing of Durham, as Visit County Durham Chief Executive, Melanie Sensicle
explains: "We give passes to all visiting media, so they can experience our key attractions first hand, and to our Visitor Information Network partners in order that they can improve their knowledge of Durham's tourism offer. English
Tourism Week is the ideal time to launch the Durham VIP Pass for 2013/14, as it highlights the county's exceptional tourism offer."
2013 sees five new attractions join the scheme, Diggerland near Langley Park; Tweddle Children's Animal Farm in
Blackhall Colliery; The Prince Bishop River Cruiser in Durham City; Binchester Roman Fort; and Auckland Castle, which is reopening to the public from the 1st of April.
Used to its full potential, the VIP pass represents a value in excess of £400 and last year, around 180 passes were
issued. JOURNALISTS PLANNING A VISIT TO DURHAM ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT US TO BE ISSUED WITH THEIR VIP PASS.
Louise Elliott, Business Development Executive with Event Durham, oversees Durham University's visitor attractions,
three of which; the Botanic Garden, Oriental Museum and Durham Castle, offer free entry with the VIP Pass.
She said, "The Durham University visitor attractions have participated in the VIP Pass since it began. We see this as a key tool to raise our profile with journalists and those working in tourism in Durham. It allows these 'VIPs' to visit our attractions free of charge, and experience the great facilities that we have to offer. This in turn provides us with great reviews or better knowledge of our offer which ultimately encourages more visitors to our attractions."
Tourism is essential to England's economy. It generates £97billion each year, employs in excess of two million people and supports thousands of businesses, both directly and indirectly. English Tourism Week is a week-long celebration of
events showcasing the quality and vibrancy of visitor experiences across the country.
For ETW in Durham, the World Heritage Site is offering a free guided architectural walk around Palace Green on Saturday 23rd March at 10am and 2pm. Places are limited and must be pre booked. Please contact visitor.centre@dur.ac.uk or 0191 334 3805 to book your place.
Then on Sunday 24th March, the Oriental Museum is offering free entry to the museum and the chance to listen to a talk from the experts. Three talks will take place: 1pm - China, 2pm - Ancient Egypt, 3pm - Japan. There is no need to sign up for the talks, just turn up on the day.
Visitors to the Oriental Museum and World Heritage Site tours will receive a discount voucher for entry to another Durham University visitor attraction, the Botanic Garden, on Saturday or Sunday.
Notes to editors:
Pictured (L-R) in attached image are...
Craig Barclay, Curator, Durham
University Museums
David Butler, Original Durham Ghost
Walk
Louise Elliott, Durham University
Botanic Garden
Melanie Sensicle, Chief Executive,
Visit County Durham
Marco Calzini, Managing Director,
Adventure Valley
Rachel Smith, Durham Castle Tours
Janine Calzini, Director, Adventure
Valley
The VIP Pass contributors for 2013/14
are as follows...
Adventure Valley - Free Entry
Auckland Castle - Free Entry
Beamish Museum - Free Entry
Beamish Wild - Free Entry
Binchester Roman Fort - Free Entry
Botanic Garden, Durham University -
Free Entry
The Bowes Museum - Free Entry
Bradley Burn Farm Shop and Café - Free
Tea/Coffee and Cake
Crook Hall and Gardens - Free Entry
Dalton Park Outlet Shopping - Free
Leisure and Savings Guide
Diggerland Durham - Free Entry
DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery -
Free Entry
Durham Castle, Durham University - Free
Guided Tour
Durham Cathedral - Free Tour
Durham County Cricket Club - Free Entry
to an LVC or Yorkshire Bank 40 match
Durham Heritage Centre and Museum -
Free Entry
Durham Student Theatre, Durham
University - Free Entry
Hall Hill Farm - Free Entry
Hamsterley Forest - Free Entry
High Force - Free Entry
Killhope Lead Mining Museum - Free
Entry
Locomotion: The NRM at Shildon - Free
Guide Book with Entry
North of England Trike Tours - £10
Discount
Oldfields Noted Eating House - 25% off
Oriental Museum, Durham University -
Free Entry
Original Durham Ghost Walk - Free
Guided Walk
Prince Bishops River Cruise - Free
Sightseeing Cruise
Raby Castle - Free Entry
Tanfield Railway - Free Train Ride
Tweddle Children's Animal Farm - Free
Entry
Weardale Museum - Free Entry
Visit County Durham (VCD) is the
tourism management agency for County Durham working on behalf of businesses and
public agencies. We came into being on 1 April, 2006 and are a private,
not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee, with a board of directors
including an executive director.
Visit County Durham assists Durham to
fulfil its potential as one of North East England's lead destinations,
attracting visitors to the region from across the UK and from target overseas
markets. Its objective is to ensure that the tourism sector performs to its
maximum capacity and brings economic benefits to the county in the form of
wealth and job creation. Its broad aims are to attract people to the area and
to provide visitors with the best possible experience.
VisitEngland is the country's national
tourist board. They work in partnership with the industry to develop the
visitor experience across England, plan national tourism strategy, grow the
value of tourism in England and provide advocacy for the industry and our
visitors. Their work is underpinned by robust research and customer insights.
You can access the latest in-depth market intelligence and statistics on www.visitengland.org/insight-statistics. For corporate information see www.visitengland.org and for consumer information see www.visitengland.com
