Podcast
Destination Digest
Hosted by Destination North East England · ENGLISH
Join England's first Destination Development Partnership as we unlock the untapped potential in North East England's visitor economy. With top tips, tricks and fascinating insight, we'll help you grow your business and make the region a great place to visit.
On each episode, we'll hear from tourism, hospitality and visitor economy trailblazers, who are poised to provide you with a wealth of knowledge and expertise, from deep diving into the latest visitor data to understanding how to make your business greener, more sustainable, inclusive and accessible.
Your host Jonny Chambers will grill these industry experts and help signpost North East visitor economy businesses to the right support, to help Destination North East England on its mission to double the value of the region's visitor economy by the end of the decade.
About Destination North East England
Destination North East England was established to unlock the untapped potential in North East England’s visitor economy. The region has ambitious plans to unlock untapped potential, aiming to double the size of our visitor economy by the end of the decade, whilst also positioning the region as a global leader in regenerative tourism and one of Europe’s most welcoming, accessible and inclusive destinations.
The North East was chosen to deliver the first-ever Destination Development Partnership pilot in England, receiving £2.25 million from national government.
It operates across all seven local authorities, working together to improve skills, develop products, work with travel trade, drive innovation, support business events and improve the accessibility and sustainability of the sector.
The pilot has been the catalyst for the development of a ten-year plan that will double the size of our visitor economy and position our region as a must-see destination, whilst attracting private investment and driving growth.
This is a regional collaboration and an incredible opportunity to unlock growth and the untapped potential in the North East of England by develop our regional eco-system and supporting industry.
Destination North East England is led by NewcastleGateshead Initiative on behalf of the region, working with delivery partners Visit Northumberland and Visit County Durham and in partnership with all seven local authorities.
NewcastleGateshead Initiative, Visit County Durham, and Visit Northumberland were the first organisations to be recognised by VisitEngland in a new national portfolio of strategic tourism bodies called Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs). A Destination Development Partnership pilot is led by a LVEP, on behalf of a wider region and other LVEPs to create a programme of activity funded by DCMS and managed by national body VisitEngland to deliver the government's ambitions for the visitor economy at a regio...
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The 2025 Visitor Economy Deep Dive
Aug 100:44:37Tap to summarizeWe're heading back to where it all started, as we're joined by Ian Thomas, Chief Operating Officer of NewcastleGateshead Initiative for a data deep dive for 2025. In our first ever episode, Ian provided a fascinating insight into the latest STEAM data and now, with the latest data released, we're back to do it again. This episode takes a look at the current performance of the visitor economy and uncovers the tidbits that businesses need to grow and develop throughout 2025. For more hints, tips, advice and opportunities to grow your visitor economy business, visit https://destinationnortheastengland.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Visit If You Dare - The Power of Screen Tourism & 28 Years Later
Jul 1100:30:36Tap to summarizeAs the North East gears up for its starring role in the hotly-anticipated summer blockbuster 28 Years Later, Destination Digest caught up with North East Screen's Gayle Woodruffe to talk all things film and TV, it's power to attract thrill-seeking tourists and how visitor economy businesses can capitalise on the region's Hollywood ambitions. Discover what goes into attracting large scale film and TV shoots to the region, what casts and crews are looking for and how you can craft unforgettable experiences for 'set jetters' from all over the world who are eager to walk in the footsteps of their favourite stars. For more hints, tips, advice and opportunities to grow your visitor economy business, visit https://destinationnortheastengland.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →The Ultimate Sustainable Events Guide
Jul 900:53:08Tap to summarizeSustainability and regenerative tourism are at the heart of everything we do as England's first Destination Development Partnership Pilot. Now, we want to help events organisers make more sustainable and responsible choices when organising events in North East England, with the help of a brand new toolkit developed in collaboration with BeaconHouse Events. Join BeaconHouse's Sarah Thackray and NewcastleGateshead Initiative's Caroline Reed and Shelley Johnson as we take a deep dive into the world of sustainable events and discover how the toolkit can help you plan greener, more responsible events that leave a positive impact on our people, places and planet. For more hints, tips, advice and opportunities to grow your visitor economy business, visit https://destinationnortheastengland.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Getting Down To Business... Events
May 14, 202500:32:36Tap to summarizeThe power of business events to grow the North East's visitor economy should not be underestimated. Caroline Reed, the region's business events guru and leader of NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau sits down with Jonny Chambers to uncover why attracting business events, conventions and conferences to the region can play a huge role in expanding our reach, attracting more visitors and opening up the destination to visitors from around the world. https://www.meetnewcastlegateshead.com/https://www.meetnewcastlegateshead.com/plan-your-event/sustainable-events-toolkit/For more hints, tips, advice and opportunities to grow your visitor economy business, visit https://destinationnortheastengland.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Developing Skills and Opening Up Career Pathways in the Visitor Economy
Mar 21, 202500:40:45Tap to summarizeRecorded during English Tourism Week which this year had the theme of 'supporting people and places to drive growth', we sat down with two skills and education experts both of whom have spent a large part of their career embedded in the visitor economy to discuss the current skills landscape for visitor economy businesses, what the future workforce looks like, how businesses can provide meaningful career pathways and why everyone should want to work in the visitor economy!For more hints, tips, advice and opportunities to grow your visitor economy business, visit https://destinationnortheastengland.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Becoming a Tourism Superstar
Feb 21, 202500:31:00Tap to summarizeCo-ordinating a cast of over 1000 volunteers telling over 2000 years of English history is the mammoth task that falls to Wendy Wilshere,Head of Volunteer Casting and Engagement at the epic outdoor spectacular Kynren. From her background as a Kynren volunteer herself to the person leading the small army of dedicated people who bring the show to life, we delve into what it takes to rally such a big crowd of people to deliver an exceptional experience for over 8000 visitors nightly. We'll take a look at how Kynren has reshaped Bishop Auckland and find out more about the incredible new Storied Lands immersive attraction on the horizon. Wendy is a finalist in this year's VisitEngland Tourism Superstar, recognising her dedication and unwavering commitment to her volunteer team and to the transformation of the Bishop Auckland area. Wendy is the epitome of a Tourism Superstar and we're delighted to be able to throw our support behind her campaign to bring the crown home to the North East! Tap the link to cast your vote https://www.visitbritain.org/working-us/visitenglands-tourism-superstar-awardFor more hints, tips, advice and opportunities to grow your visitor economy business, visit https://destinationnortheastengland.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Leading the Way for Accessibility and Inclusion
Nov 15, 202400:41:03Tap to summarizeJoin VisitEngland's Accessibility and Inclusion lead Ross Calladine, disability and accessibility campaigner and Access and Inclusion UK's Jane Cooper and accessible tourism and travel writer and Head of Communications at AccessAble Carrie-Ann Lightley for a fascinating look at all things accessibility and inclusion.Destination North East England has ambitions to transform the North East into one of Europe's most accessible and inclusive destinations and our guests on this episode uncover what changes businesses can make, from small quick wins to transformative programmes of improvement to ensure everybody feels welcome.From the importance of thoughtfulness and being yourself to listening to and acting on feedback from disabled visitors, we also discuss how new technologies can improve the visitor experience and why it's important to cater for the 25% of the population who travel with an access requirement in England.For more hints, tips, advice and opportunities to grow your visitor economy business, visit https://destinationnortheastengland.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →The North East's World-Leading Regenerative Future
Sep 27, 202400:39:37Tap to summarizeNorth East England has launched a world-leading, globally significant regenerative visitor economy framework and in this episode, we uncover what this brave, new world means for the region, our businesses and our leaders.Sustainability and regenerative tourism expert Guy Bigwood, Chief Executive and Chief Changemaker at GDS Movement discusses how the framework came about, what it means for the region and the regenerative future we're ushering into being. As the scourge of 'over-tourism' hits destinations around the globe, how prepared is the North East when it comes to dealing with more tourists and the carbon footprint increases that brings, how are we going to protect our people, our place and our planet and what does the future look like for our visitor economy. For more hints, tips, advice and opportunities to grow your visitor economy business, visit https://destinationnortheastengland.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Is your business Visitor Ready?
Aug 12, 202400:28:40Tap to summarizeHow to you make sure your business is compliant, safe and ready to welcome visitors? Have you ever thought about accreditations, star ratings and quality schemes but never got passed the first hurdle? In this special bonus episode, Jonny Chambers is joined by Simon Numphud from AA Media to talk about their brand new Visitor Ready accreditation scheme, a free initiative that helps businesses stay compliant and ready to welcome visitors.This special bonus episode forms part of Excellence and Quality month at Destination North East England, as we help businesses demonstrate their excellence, quality and compliance - from top tips on regulation and compliance, to getting the most out of your Destination North East England Tourism Awards entry!For more hints, tips, advice and opportunities to grow your visitor economy business, visit https://destinationnortheastengland.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →North East England Goes Global
Aug 2, 202400:35:25Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Destination Digest, the all new podcast from England's first Destination Development Partnership (DDP), Jonny Chambers chats with Jennifer Huntley, Senior Partnerships Manager at international tourism body Visit Britain as we discuss how North East England's story is being told around the globe as part of the DDP's international amplification project. We uncover what the big opportunities are internationally to tell global visitors about the region as well as revealing some of the fantastic results the international amplification work has achieved in all four corners of the globe. Learn why the region is operating at a 'champion's league' level according to one influential travel expert and what going international means for your business here in the North East. For more hints, tips, advice and opportunities to grow your visitor economy business, visit https://destinationnortheastengland.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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