‘Come See Things Differently’ in the US: North East’s adventure, food, drink and icons come alive, what you need to know about the tourism campaign?

Thursday, July 18, 2024 The North East’s incredible icons, exciting adventures and distinctive food and drink have been showcased in the US as part of a campaign in partnership with national tourism agency VisitBritain, aimed at growing inbound visits to the region. Destination management organisation Visit County Durham, Durham County Council’s tourism service, led on the initiative, which saw the North East become part of VisitBritain’s multi-million-pound international co-operative consumer marketing campaign- Come See Things Differently. With activity aiming to make Britain the destination of choice in the USA, Britain’s most valuable inbound visitor market, the awareness and appeal of the region has been raised following the high impact activity, driving consideration to visit and bookings.

Delivered in partnership and with funding from VisitEngland and fellow Local Visitor Economy Partnerships Newcastle Gateshead Initiative and Visit Northumberland, the campaign promoted the region to over 3.5m potential visitors through targeted digital marketing and social media activity. Duncan Peake, Interim Chair of Visit County Durham, and chief executive of Raby Estates, said: “This campaign demonstrates how effectively the region’s three Local Visitor Economy Partnerships can work together.

By joining forces, we have been able to secure additional grant funding from VisitEngland, to deliver a really significant campaign. The US market has returned strongly post-covid.