THE first tourism body for County Durham has been formed, with the owner of an award-winning Teesdale pub at the helm.

Chris Davy, owner of the Rose and Crown, at Romaldkirk, is chairman of the newly-formed County Durham Tourism Partnership.

The partnership has been set up to promote tourism in County Durham and gives the area a voice in regional tourism.

It is supported by regional development agency One NorthEast, the County Durham Economic Partnership and local authorities.

Mr Davy said: "County Durham is a beautiful part of the world, with some major national attractions, as well as a number of smaller attractions across the county.

"We now have a real opportunity to build on this reputation and work with businesses and public agencies to boost the number of visitors to the county and ensure their visitor experience keeps them coming back again and again.

"It is really exciting we have our own tourism partnership, that we have never had before."