Durham has been ranked the eighth best hospitality destination in England in a survey by the AA and VisitEngland.
New data from the hospitality experts at the AA and VisitEngland show the most highly-rated destinations in England based on restaurant, hotel, B&B and campsite rankings.
Forty-seven regions were ranked by their average rating across four categories: B&Bs, hotels, caravan and campsites, and restaurants. All establishments belong to the AA and/or Visit England quality assessment schemes which provide star rankings and rosettes in accordance with their level of excellence. This information was combined to give an overall percentage of hospitality excellence for each county.
Durham tied eighth place with North Yorkshire, scoring 66% overall, fighting off competition from destinations including Greater London and Cumbria, with Berkshire coming top.
Andrew Oxley, head of hotel and hospitality services at the AA, said: “We hope this data will be useful for consumers when planning a summer holiday or short break in England.
“If a county scores over 80% it should be regarded as outstanding, over 70% excellent and over 60% very good. We hope this information will highlight some of the very best hospitality experiences that England has to offer.”
Andrew Stokes, director at VisitEngland said: “It’s exciting to combine the data from VisitEngland and the AA for the first time and to celebrate the destinations where we see accommodation achieving excellence in quality. We would like to encourage people to go and try a break somewhere they might not have considered before.”
Michelle Gorman, managing director at Visit County Durham, said: “The rankings are fantastic news for Durham, shining a light on the excellent hospitality offering available county-wide.”
For full details on rankings, visit: https://www.theaa.com/travel/discover/englands-best-counties-to-stay-eat-and-drink