Following the success of last summer’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which raised the county’s profile as a destination for live sport, Visit County Durham are delivering a national marketing campaign in partnership with Durham Cricket, encouraging visitors to ‘Get bowled over by Durham’.
The campaign will showcase cricket, and other sporting events that take place across the county, as hooks to inspire a short break to Durham.
Michelle Gorman, managing director at Visit County Durham, said: “Following the global success of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup hosted in Durham last summer, it’s great to raise the profile of Durham’s fantastic live sporting offer.
“Visitors from across the world travel to experience sport in Durham, and we’re aiming to carry on that legacy into 2020 and beyond with the support of Durham Cricket.”
2020 is set to be another fantastic year of live sport in Durham. The county will welcome back world-class cricket this summer, as England take on Australia in the T20 International series (3 July), and the Vitality Blast tournament returns to the Emirates Riverside in June.
David Jackson, marketing director at Durham Cricket, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this campaign which we hope will help continue to build the county’s profile on the back of a successful summer.
“This year is set to be just as big with international cricket and major concerts taking place at Emirates Riverside. The county has a lot to offer for visitors of all ages and we hope to play our part in showcasing that to the world.”
Other live sporting events taking place across the county include the Durham Regatta, which returns for its 187th year (13-14 June), the annual Durham City Run Festival (16-18 July) which attracts thousands of runners and the County Durham Golf Trail, which returns for its third year. In February, Durham welcomed bowlers from across the country for the British Isles Indoor U25 Men’s International Series, held at Stanley Indoor Bowls Centre.
Cllr Simon Henig, leader of Durham County Council, said: “The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup’s legacy means Durham will be thought of globally as a place for live sport and an ideal location for a short break. This in turn will bring thousands of visitors to our county, boost our tourist economy, and enable us to put forward another great year of events.”
The ‘Get bowled over by Durham’ campaign activity will include dedicated web pages, e-newsletters, competition and social media marketing, delivered jointly by Visit County Durham and Durham Cricket.
The campaign launches this month with themed activity running throughout the year.