A TOWN has been officially named as one of the most welcoming towns in the country as it prepares to greet thousands of new visitors.

Bishop Auckland is the first town in the region and only one of 15 places in the country to be awarded WorldHost Recognised Destination status, following a training initiative delivered by The Auckland Project and Durham County Council.

An internationally renowned programme, WorldHost has set a new benchmark for excellence in customer service and was used for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As the latest official WorldHost destination, Bishop Auckland is now on par with Liverpool, a former UK City of Culture.

To attain the accolade, 286 employees from 22 businesses in Bishop Auckland completed a training course, gaining new skills to deliver a warm and friendly welcome to all visitors.

Councillor Carl Marshall, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “We are, of course, renowned for our warm and friendly attitude in the North-East but achieving WorldHost status is proof of just how committed the businesses of Bishop Auckland are to offering the best possible welcome to visitors.

Gary Ewing, of Inspiral Cycles, said: “Bishop Auckland is going to greater lengths than any other town in the area and this highlights the positive atmosphere in the town.

“Things are starting to happen and people are pushing things forwards which makes Bishop Auckland quite an exciting and unique place to be at the moment.”

Bishop Auckland is predicted to attract more than 430,000 annual visitors by 2020, through initiatives including The Auckland Project, which is being supported by £11.4 million of National Lottery funding, and Kynren - An Epic Tale of England by Eleven Arches.

The visitors are expected to pour £20m into the local economy.

Bishop Auckland councillor Joy Allen, who has completed training, said: “This has been a really important project for our town and I am delighted that all the effort and investment has paid off now we have achieved the highly acclaimed and sought after WorldHost destination status.”

Louise Costello, visitor experience manager at The Auckland Project, said: “The visitor experience, whether from leisure, transport, hospitality or retail businesses can hugely impact whether they return to Durham or recommend it to friends and family.

“We need to ensure that as a community we have the skills in place to welcome the world to Bishop Auckland.”