Gettysburg visitation increases to more than 3 million

Despite lagging economy, Pennsylvania destination has successful year

(Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) - 4/22/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ...

CONTACT:

Carl Whitehill

Media Relations Manager

Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau

(717) 338-1055

 

A recently released study on visitation to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, showed that a little more than 3 million people visited the historic destination in 2008, marking a slight increase over the previous year.

 

"2008 presented many challenges in the tourism industry,� said Norris Flowers, President of the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau. �Americans were concerned about the economy and gas prices reached more than $4 a gallon. We�re pleased that not only was Gettysburg able to sustain its visitation over 2007, but visitation even increased slightly.�

 

The study, conducted by the California University of Pennsylvania�s Tourism Research Center, also showed an increase in multi-night stays in Gettysburg and Adams County. While the number of those spending the day and one-night decreased, the number of visitors staying more than one night increased.

 

"This is an important goal of the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau,� said Flowers. �Increasing the duration of vacations is an important part of economic development through tourism. The longer travelers stay, the more they spend on meals, shopping and attractions in addition to their accommodations."

 

Gettysburg area did, however, see a slight decrease in visitor spending. The average visitor spent $288.52 on their total trip, a decrease of less than $10 over 2007. Transportation costs last year, however, rose drastically as gas prices spiked during the summer months. On average, visitors spent more than $124 more on transportation costs than they did in 2007.

 

Other notable findings:

 

• Nearly 7 percent more visitors turned a single-night stay in the Gettysburg area into a multiple-night stay. When asked how long they were staying, more than 31 percent said they were staying more than one night. Nearly 17 percent said they were staying one night. In addition, of those who said they were staying more than one night, the average length of their stay was about 3 nights.

 

• Gettysburg and Adams County continues to experience a high level of satisfaction among its visitors. The 2008 study showed that when asked to rate their current trip, respondents� answers average 4.63 out of 5, thus rating their experience between �good� and �excellent.� When asked whether they would recommend Gettysburg to others, 99.9 percent said �yes.�

 

• The Gettysburg destination also attracts many repeat visitors. When asked whether this was their first visit, 63 percent of the respondents answered �no.� Nearly 62 percent of those respondents said they had visited Gettysburg between 1 and 5 times. Twelve percent said they had previously visited Gettysburg 6-10 times.

 

• In 2008, the study showed a slight increase in the amount of visitors (86.5 percent) who said Gettysburg was their primary destination. The remainder (13.5 percent) said Gettysburg and Adams County was one of several destinations during their trip or they had not planned on visiting Gettysburg, but did.

 

In 2008, hotel occupancy was up 8.3 percent over 2007, and already this year, Adams County has posted a 12.3-percent increase in January and 3 percent increase in February, according to Smith Travel Research. Among other factors, visitation to Gettysburg and Adams County was boosted by the opening of the new Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center and the many national events held throughout the year, including the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

 

Tourism is Adams County�s No. 1 industry bringing in more than $332 million, according to a 2006 study by Global Insight, the most recent year for which information is available. Tourism, as noted in that same study, has generated more than 7,500 jobs in Adams County, paying more than $227 million to those employees.

 

The Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, Adams County�s official tourism promotion agency, markets Gettysburg and Adams County as a premier travel destination, producing a positive economic impact.