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Co-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-award

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Join 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.

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North 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.

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How 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!

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In 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.

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Welcome to the first episode of Destination Digest - our new, regular podcast series from England's first Destination Development Partnership Pilot - Destination North East England

In this first episode, we're joined by Ian Thomas, director of visitor economy at NewcastleGateshead Initiative and one of the leads on the Destination North East England project. Ian has spent many years in the world of data and research for the tourism and hospitality space and joins host Jonny Chambers to crunch the numbers and discuss the importance of data, statistics and research.

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