The 35th Annual National Travel and Tourism Week is the first full week of May.
The Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau, the official tourism promotion agency for McKean County has joined other tourism professionals across the country in celebrating the value travel holds for our economy, businesses and personal well-being.
Not only does travel directly impact the transportation, entertainment, recreation, retail, food & beverage, and accommodation businesses, but it also helps create jobs. One in nine Americans depend on a healthy travel industry for their employment — and it’s not just those directly working in the travel industry either. In 2017, travel generated $75.6 billion in state and local tax revenue, more than enough to pay all state and local police and firefighters, or 1.25 million public school teachers (preschool and k to 12) across the U.S.
The Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau, a non-profit organization, has a mission to promote travel and tourism into McKean County, thereby increasing the economic vitality of the region with increased tourism spending into our local economy.
The Economic Impact of Travel in Pennsylvania for Calendar Year 2015 finds the total for traveler spending in McKean County was $174.7 million annually, with the tourism industry supporting 1,164 tourism jobs in McKean County. Looking back, tourism revenues and tourism jobs have grown in McKean County. In 2005, traveler spending was $119.6 million annually, and there were only 999 tourism jobs.
Research conducted for the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau by North Star Strategies regarding visitor statistics, shows us that our visitors primarily come from the Northeast, and once they have visited as many as 74 percent will be a return visitor. The adjectives selected to describe our region include: scenic, outdoorsy, a variety of outdoor activities, and naturally scenic and beautiful.
In 2017, visitation to the single most visited site, the Kinzua Sky Walk grew to 207,677 visitors, up from 186,000 in 2016. The skywalk has received visitors from all 50 states and several international visitors from Canada, Asia, South America, Australia, Europe and Africa.
Social Media reach for the region represented by the ANFVB continues to improve.
One single Facebook post in 2017 reached 3.4 million people with 150,131 reactions. The bureau maintains an active website, along with Facebook and Twitter accounts. Our current following on Facebook is 59,798 friends, with an average weekly reach of 110,000. The tracking shows that the top countries visiting our website are U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, France and Australia.
The 2018 ANF Visitors Bureau Visitors Guide & Map, a 72-page, full color publication with maps, is utilized by the bureau to attract visitors to the region. Annually, 125,000 copies are printed and distributed monthly to over 590 locations. The guide is mailed as a fulfillment piece to inquiries received by phone and the Internet. Currently, the guide is available as a download from www.visitANF.com. In an average month, 1,025 people will download our visitors guide, and the website will have over 43,000 page views.
This year’s cover features a photo of the Kinzua Sky Walk, and a new informational section on the Kinzua Sky Walk features. This section features some breathtaking photos of the original viaduct, the tornado damage, the new skywalk and the Kinzua Bridge Visitors Center. In addition, the guide showcases a wide range of attractions, restaurants, lodging, shops, and four-seasons of activities, all presented in a way to attract visitors to McKean County.
Executive Director of the ANFVB, Linda Devlin, will be promoting McKean County to international visitors in Denver, Colo., at the 2018 International Pow Wow (IPW), on May 19-23. IPW is the travel industry’s premier international marketplace and the largest generator of travel to the U.S. Over 70 different countries will be attending the show. With the help of international student, Yu Yun, from The University Of Pittsburgh at Bradford, the ANFVB’S profile sheet was translated to Chinese, in order to reach visitors from China.
The Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau maintains a Welcome Center located at 80 E. Corydon Street in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The Welcome Center is open five days a week, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors from around the world stop in to pick up the ANFVB Visitors Guide & Map, along with maps and local promotional materials.
