Destination Gettysburg's Director of Media and Public Relations, Natalie Buyny, and Media Relations Assistant, Rachel Wright, traveled to Richmond, Va., for the annual Mid-Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance (MATPRA) Media Marketplace. During this three-day event, Natalie and Rachel pitched the many stories of Adams County to travel writers from across the Mid-Atlantic region. 

Following Media Marketplace, Destination Gettysburg coordinated a visit for one of the journalist in attendance who was interested in Gettysburg's haunted attractions. 

Many of the travel writers were interested in Gettysburg's holiday offerings, the Adams County Pour Tour, agritourism experiences and unique ways to experience Gettysburg's history. Over the course of the next few days, Natalie and Rachel will follow up with these writers to either set up media visits or supply additional information for future travel stories in their publications.

​Sales Manager Nicole Absher and nine Destination Gettysburg partners attended Student & Youth Travel Association's (STYA) Annual Conference in Birmingham, Ala. on August 9-13.
 
At this year's Annual Conference, Destination Gettysburg had 40 prescheduled appointments with tour operators from across the United States; this is well above the event average of 22 appointments for suppliers. All 40 appointments were mutual requests, where both the operator and Destination Gettysburg requested the appointment. Over the past few years, Destination Gettysburg has seen an increase in the number of appointments and of mutual appointments, which demonstrates the effectiveness in our marketing efforts to these student tour operators.

As the official destination marketing organization for Adams County, Destination Gettysburg's primary role, as outlined in state law is to use our lodging tax revenue to attract visitors to the county. The ultimate goal in our marketing is to drive overnight stays resulting in higher spending in the market, not just with lodging properties, but with shops, attractions, restaurants, fuel stations and other ancillary businesses. This in turn will drive employment. It is all about the positive economic impact for Adams County. Our marketing programs include print, radio, billboards, and a large array of digital channels.

One specific campaign ran with Expedia from May 15 through July 18. The goal was to drive new visitors to Adams County, targeting travelers who had previously searched for destinations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia as well as Washington, DC and New York City. Display ads ran on the main Expedia site as well as their portfolio sites, including Hotels.com, Travelocity, Orbitz and Hotwire, driving traffic to a landing page where the potential visitor could learn more about the destination, click through to our official website and book their lodging. Destination Gettysburg invested $30,000 in this campaign which delivered 2.3 million impressions and a click through rate of 0.08 percent. The ultimate results were $144,387 in accommodation bookings, a 481 percent return on investment. The program also generated addition revenue in restaurants, local attractions and various other businesses.

Campaigns with Expedia also provide great data. During the campaign period, room night bookings were up by 40 rooms per day, a 22.9 percent increase. We know that of the bookings, the majority were for one night (49.4 percent), with an additional 32.8 percent of bookings staying for two nights, other bookings were for up to nine nights. 61.6 percent of bookings were for multiple adults, with 26 percent representing the family market and 12.4 percent single travelers. Nearly 40 percent arrived in market within two weeks of the booking and 67 percent within 30 days. Top origin markets include New York City, Pittsburgh, Hartford, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, Columbus and Baltimore. 

This is just one example of how Destination Gettysburg invests the lodging tax dollars and tracks our return on investment, producing an annual economic impact of $726 million dollars to the Gettysburg and Adams County economy. 

As you know, we've been closely monitoring the new Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) policy and fees that the National Park Service is implementing. We wanted to share the latest news that these updates are being delayed six months. The National Park Service will not accept road-based commercial tour (RBCT) CUAs until January 1, 2020 and not require CUAs for entry until April 1, 2020. Changes to commercial tour entrance fees will also not occur until the standardized RBCT CUA requirement is implemented. 

In addition, the NPS has also made a major policy shift regarding CUA fees. They will no longer require CUA holders to keep track of park visitors under 16 years of age who are already exempt from entrance fees. 

>> Click here for more information regarding the CUA changes

Last week, the American Bus Association held a webinar addressing the proposed increase in fees for commercial use authorizations (CUA) from the National Park Service (NPS). We need your help in submitting feedback to Congress and other dignitaries in our region to stop this increase in proposals. Comments to the NPS are due July 29. 

It's imperative that when addressing your concerns, you not only mention the negative impact it will have on our economy, but your business. Commenting on the burdens imposed by the new program could potentially lead to additional changes in how the program is implemented. Here are some key points to include in your letter: 

• Recent policy changes announced by the NPS will drastically impact your company, which offers tours to XX number of visitors from around the world. 
• Your business may not be able to continue to operate should these new fees take effect because it will increase your fee to operate tours by more than XX percent. 
• Limited staff to monitor number of visitors entering the park since there are many entrances. 
• Decrease in tourism to our park. 

To view a sample letter, click here. If you were unable to join the webinar but would like to listen, click here. 

Comments may be filed by regular mail, email or by telephone by July 29. Be sure to reference this number in your comments - OMB Control Number 1024-0268.
 
Mail: Acting NPS Information Collection Clearance Officer
1201 Oakridge Drive
Fort Collins, CO 80525
 
Email: Phadrea_ponds@nps.gov
 
Telephone: 1 (970) 267-7213 
 
We also urge you to send a copy to your local dignitaries, below: 
 
Federal Elected Officials
The Honorable Patrick J. Toomey
U.S. Senate
258 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.  20510
 
The Honorable Bob Casey
U.S. Senate
393 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
 
The Honorable John Joyce
U.S. House of Representatives
1337 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C.  20515
 
Lastly, copy Chad Reichard at Representative Joyce's Chambersburg office located at 100 Lincoln Way East, Chambersburg, PA 17201-2291

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US News & World Report released its Best Vacation Destinations Rankings, which named Gettysburg the third best place to visit in Pennsylvania, fourth best historical city in the United States, eighth best relaxing getaway in the United States and twentieth in best cheap vacations in the United States.
 
"We already knew our destination appeals to travelers for many reasons, but this just is further proof of it," said Norris Flowers, President and CEO of Destination Gettysburg. "Gettysburg continues to evolve and provide many experiences for our visitors and we're pleased that we've been ranked four times in different categories that show our destination is an attractive place to many."
 
U.S. News Travel's Best Vacations rankings identify the top destinations by region and vacation type. U.S. News used expert opinions, user votes and current trends, in addition to evaluating sights, cultures, scenic beauty, food scenes and more to compile the list.
 
The rankings not only highlight Gettysburg's historical presence, but also as a town that boasts a multitude of relaxing and adventurous pursuits including horseback riding, spas, farmers markets, art galleries and boutiques.
 
To view more about Gettysburg's rankings, visit travel.usnews.com/Gettysburg_PA/.


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Do you or someone you know rent out a place on Airbnb, HomeAway, or one of the many other online home sharing booking systems? Then it's important to make sure that everything is in compliance with local and state requirements.
 
We continue to see the travel industry evolve and along with that has been the growth of online hosting platforms. Since travelers are important to our destination and we want to make sure that they have suitable accommodations for themselves and their family, it's important that we educate our members and businesses on the local and state requirements.
 
Some important things to be aware of include:

• Make sure your property is zoned to operate a short-term lodging business. You may need to present a request to your zoning hearing board if your locality is not zoned for rentals.
• Refer to our local government's website to find contact information for local townships, municipal zoning officer to confirm zoning.
• If your rental property is in a community with a Home Owners Association, check their regulations to make sure it is permitted.
• Short-term rentals must adhere to the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) that may require installation of sprinklers, emergency exits, fire escapes and alarm systems.
• Make sure you're charging the six percent state occupancy tax.
• You must register with the PA Department of Revenue for Sales, Use, and Hotel Occupancy Tax 
• License (except Airbnb, which performs this service).
• Ensure you're collecting county/city room tax.
• Register your property with your county and city treasurer's office.
• Have proper insurance.
• Check your zoning for parking regulations.

If you'd like to learn more, please reach out to Crissy Redding at the Adams County Treasurers office at credding@adamscounty.us. 

Destination Gettysburg began working with California University of Pennsylvania in 2007 to get a better understanding of the traveler to Gettysburg. The intercept survey collects information on demographic, spending, communication and perception of our visitor while in market. Now in the eleventh year, the team has established a ten-year median (middle value, half of the data points fall below this number and the other half above). Using the median value eliminates outliers, or extremely high or low values that are not truly reflective of the data set. Throughout the report, 2018 data is compared both to 2017 data as well as the ten-year median value.

Geographic Origin
97.2 percent of visitors surveyed were from the United States with the primary visitation coming from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Virginia, Ohio and New Jersey. Strong catchment areas include Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and southeastern Pennsylvania along the borders of New Jersey and Maryland. This is reflective of our target markets. International visitation made up 2.8 percent of the total, slightly below the ten-year median of three percent.

Age
The average age of the adult visitor to Adams County is 48, down from the age of 52. The average age was increasing, from 2010 to 2015, the age of our visitor had grown from 49 to 53. This number came down to 52 by 2016 and remained there in 2017. In addition to our strategic change in messaging and targeting, the launch of the Adams County Pour Tour as a new marketing platform has shown movement in the direction of our goal to reduce the average age. This is important, as we must always have a new visitor stream coming into the market. It does not mean we are moving away from our existing visitor, simply building a sustainable audience for future tourism. 

Trip Characteristics
Repeat visitation hit an all-time high of 60.7 percent, up 0.7 percent over 2017. The purpose for the visit was primarily pleasure trips at 87.7 percent, which is up 2.1 percent from 2017. Business travel, making up 3.7 percent of visitation, appeared to be down slightly by 1.1 percent, as was visiting friends and family.

Length of Stay
Travel duration is broken down by day trips, overnights and number of overnights. It is important to note that 58.9 percent of visitors surveyed in 2018 were staying over. The 40.1 percent staying one day or less is down over 2017 by 4.2 percent. Those staying more than one night came in at 36.4 percent, down 5.6 percent from 2017 while those staying one night was up 8.1 percent at 21.8 percent of those surveyed. The media length of stay for those staying overnight is two nights.

Experience
When asked what attracted the visitor to the destination, historical value continues to top the list at 59.1 percent followed by attractions/events, then family/friends/heritage. Convenience and work also made the top five reasons to visit. Respondents were asked if they would be visiting the Gettysburg National Military Park while in the destination. 90.7 percent noted that they would. This figure dropped 1.8 percent from 2017.

What does all of this mean for you as a business owner? This information can be used to assist you in your marketing to visitors. If you are marketing through Destination Gettysburg, whether it be your general membership benefits or paid programs such as the Inspiration Guide, digital retargeting or co-op advertising, our visitor is changing. They are looking for a full getaway and seek unique experiences to extend their stay unlike the visitor of years ago who was here for four hours to visit the battlefield. If you have a dedicated marketing budget that you are using for outside of the market, consider the location where our visitors are coming from, as it is easier to attract more of the same with a limited budget. For additional data or to discuss how you can better develop your marketing plan and messaging, contact Stacey Fox, stacey@destinationgettysburg.com.

Last week, Destination Gettysburg traveled to IPW, the largest international travel tradeshow in North America, and the most significant generator of visitors to the United States.
 
Sales Manager Nicole Absher and Director of Public and Media Relations Natalie Buyny were among 6,300 IPW delegates this year working with both international buyers and media to attract more visitors to Adams County from foreign countries.
 
In just three days, Destination Gettysburg met with approximately 60 journalists and international/domestic buyers who were interested in learning more about Gettysburg and Adams County. Our destination's top five international markets are Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, China and Australia. A large majority of the prescheduled appointments were with representatives from these countries.

While history remains a top draw for international visitors, both journalists and operators are increasingly showing interest in culinary, recreation, agritourism and other experiences, including the new Adams County Pour Tour.
 
International visitation and spending represents a small, but important part of Adams County's tourism industry. Foreign visitors typically stay longer and spend more money in their travels. 

​Rachel Wright, Destination Gettysburg's media relations assistant, joined the Pennsylvania Tourism Office's media mission in Toronto last week. Rachel pitched Canadian travel writers who were interested in not only Gettysburg's history experiences, but the countryside agritourism offerings as well.
 
More than 20 journalists were in attendance from Canadian travel publications including the Toronto Star, Canadian Living, the Toronto Sun and Canadian Travel Press. Rachel pitched the stories of authentic Americana and history experiences, things to do beyond the battlefield, culinary and beverage offerings, agritourism experiences, and unique accommodations in Adams County. In the next week, Rachel will follow up with the media that attended the event in hopes of continuing conversations and securing future coverage in their publications.