Gettysburg enjoying great year in tourism
Hotel occupancy up more than 10 percent
(Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) - 11/4/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE �
CONTACT:
Carl Whitehill
Media Relations Manager
Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau
(717) 338-1055
Record-high gas prices and a poor economy didn�t keep travelers from visiting Gettysburg and Adams County, Pa., this summer, according to the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau.
A Smith Travel Research report shows that through September, hotel occupancy in Gettysburg and Adams County increased more than 10 percent over those same months in 2007.
�Given the state of the economy and worries about summer travel, this is great news,� said Norris Flowers, President of the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau. �Even more importantly, it shows the impact of our increased efforts to market Gettysburg and Adams County as an overnight destination.�
Flowers believes the increased hotel occupancy rate is a good indication that travelers were choosing closer, more affordable vacations this year. The Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau increased marketing to Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and other markets within a 200-mile radius, to appeal to those travelers within a tank of gas or less.
According to a California University of Pennsylvania study, the top five states from which visitors came to Gettysburg were:
Pennsylvania
Maryland
Virginia
New York
New Jersey
The organization boosted those efforts late in the summer to maintain the momentum generated from the opening of the new Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center and the increased visitation in June and July with the Gettysburg Festival, the annual Battle of Gettysburg Re-enactment and Gettysburg Bike Week.
Although spending patterns have changed because of the poor economy, visitor spending in Gettysburg has held steady. According to a California University of Pennsylvania research study, the average person spends $293.58 per day in Gettysburg. That�s slightly more than last year�s average of $292.45.
Early indications show that visitation to Gettysburg and Adams County was also strong in October. Visitation is expected to continue through November, when the historic town celebrates Dedication Day and Remembrance Day during the 145th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.
The Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau spends more than 68 percent of its budget on marketing Gettysburg and Adams County as a premier travel destination and resulting in more than $300 million in economic impact.
VisitPA.com
