​Travel site Expedia announced Gettysburg as one of the "Most Tourist-Friendly Cities in America" in their second annual list. Gettysburg is included with Emerald Coast, Florida; Napa Valley, California and Sedona, Arizona to name a few. Destinations were rated on things to do, quality and quantity of hotel options, access to an airport or major transit center, city/discover tours, amenities rating and a helpful tourism board. Gettysburg scored exceptionally high on four of those six categories- amenities, tours, things to do and helpful tourism site which landed it on the annual list.
 
"There's a reason you want to go where everybody's always glad you came-it just feels nice. We love to travel, but sometimes navigating new places and dealing with less than accommodating locals can take the fun right out of it. So we've found 13 cities that go above and beyond to welcome travelers with open arms (and stellar amenities) to ensure the smooth sailing vacation of your dreams," the article starts. 
 
When mentioning Gettysburg, the articles states, "The gift of the past is that it's an incredible teacher, and Gettysburg is the perfect place to get an education in American history," before detailing some of Gettysburg's most popular attractions.

​Destination Gettysburg is set to begin its fall marketing campaign to generate travel to Adams County from Labor Day through the Dedication Day/Remembrance Day weekend at the end of November.
 
Our focus will be fall getaways, family history visits and to attract visitors for Adams County's food and beverage scene, as well as fall events such as the Gettysburg Wine & Music Festival, Eisenhower World War II Weekend and National Apple Harvest Festival, among others.
 
An additional marketing push will be made for the newly created Adams County Pour Tour, an experience that Destination Gettysburg believes will heighten annually during the autumn season as craft beverage makers harvest their farms and begin making wines, ciders, beers and spirits.
 
Paid advertising will be placed throughout the Mid-Atlantic region including AAA World, Pittsburgh Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine, Baltimore Magazine, GolfStyles Magazine and Recreation News. In addition, blogs, social media and media relations will work together to highlight the best that Adams County has to offer in the fall months.

​Adams County is home to the South Mountain Fruit Belt which encompasses over 20,000 acres of some of the finest fruit producing soil in the United States. Because of this, Adams County is the largest producer of apples in Pennsylvania and sixth in the nation. In addition to apples most farmers also grow peaches, nectarines, cherries and bushels of other fruits and vegetables.
 
It is in that spirit that the Adams County Fruit Growers Association (ACFGA) coordinates the annual Bounty of the County, a culinary event to celebrate the bountiful orchard and farm harvests and connect local residents and Gettysburg visitors to the best that Adams County has to offer.
 
Local farms will donate peaches, apples and other in-season produce to be used by participating restaurants throughout Adams County. Chefs at these restaurants will create a special menu featuring exclusive appetizers, entrees, desserts and beverages that feature the donated produce to highlight the different tastes of Adams County.
 
"We want to connect with both locals and visitors that don't have a chance to visit our farm markets and special events in the fruit industry. We want to bring them delicious fresh produce straight from the orchards and fields," said Sarah Lott Zost with the ACFGA.
 
To participate in this culinary event, simply visit one of the participating restaurants between Aug. 10-19 and choose from the customized menu.
 
This year, 25 local farms and restaurants are participating in Bounty of the County, including Mason Dixon Distillery, Garryowen Irish Pub, Dobbin House Tavern, One Lincoln and Dunlap's Restaurant.
 
For a full list of participating restaurants, visit acfga.info/bounty/.

The Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg has announced that a new property general manager, Curt Boteler has joined their team. Curt bring over 25 years of experience in commercial real estate and is well known for his retailer relations and leadership. He’s also a been designated a Certified Property Manager (CPM) by the Institute of Real Estate Management and serves on the West-Central Maryland Chapter Board of Directors.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Curt’s caliber at the helm of The Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg,” said David Nelson, Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Horizon Group Properties. “We are looking forward to the future under Curt’s leadership.”
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Before coming to The Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg, Curt served as senior commercial property manager at Westview Promenade, a 200,000 square foot retail/lifestyle center in Frederick, Md. Under his direction, he oversaw the complete refurbishment of the center’s most prominent feature, a large fountain. He’s also worked with national shopping center companies such as Kimco Realty Corp. and Kline Scott Visco Commercial Real Estate Inc.

Destination Gettysburg’s president, Norris Flowers, was recently interviewed by Shelia Hyland in segment for Comcast Newsmakers where he discussed the economic impact of tourism in Adams County.

“Tourism is truly an economic driver in Adams County,” Flowers said. “We bring in almost 700-million dollars each year in direct economic impact, another 130-million dollars a year in state, federal and local taxes and employs over 77,000 directly in the travel industry in Adams County.”

In addition to economic impact, Destination Gettysburg’s marketing strategies through social media and traditional advertising were also discussed.

“You may not see locally what we are doing, but we are certainly promoting not only in Pennsylvania, but around the country and other countries to bring visitors here,” said Flowers.

To watch the full clip, check out the link below. The clip can also be found on Xfinity On Demand under the Get Local section.

​>> Watch the Clip

​Lodging is an important barometer for measuring the success of tourism, and is vital for generating spending in other areas as well. In other words, the more nights that a visitor spends, the more likely they are to spend additional money on dining, shopping and entertainment.
 
Through the end of June, the number of hotel rooms sold in Adams County was 195,858, marking an increase of 7 percent over the same months in 2017, according to Smith Travel Research (STR). In addition, the revenue generated in the first half of 2018 exceeded $20.1 million, an increase of nearly 5-percent. Yearly revenue in 2017 set an all-time record of $52 million.
 
The average daily rate (ADR) of hotel rooms sold in the first six months, however, dropped 2 percent over 2017, at an average of $102.65 per night.
 
STR measures and estimates data compiled by hotels throughout Adams County.
 
A separate report, commissioned through the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, estimates that lodging accounts for $93 million annually in Adams County.

Gettysburg's iconic witness trees took center stage this week as part of a CBS Sunday Morning broadcast. The story, "Standing Witness," focused on the trees' roles as bystanders to the epic battle in 1863.
 
"These witness trees remind park visitors, of every age, that the Civil War is hardly ancient history," said reporter Mark Strassman as part of the broadcast. "Trees that once lent shade and comfort to soldiers with just hours to live, that uniquely bring America's bloody past into the present."
 
In addition to an interview with Supervisory Park Ranger Angie Akinson, the story also included exhibits in the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center as well as a tour of the battlefield by GettysBike.
 
CBS Sunday Morning averages 6 million viewers per week, and approximately 26 million unique visitors per month to its website.
 
>> Watch the Broadcast

​Since the My Gettysburg app was unveiled over two years ago, more than 16,000 people have downloaded the mobile travel tool, generating 108,000 sessions.
 
Destination Gettysburg unveiled the app in January 2016 as a way for visitors to have easy access to travel information such as events, restaurants, attractions, shopping and lodging, whether they are at home or standing on Lincoln Square in Gettysburg.
 
The success of the My Gettysburg app continues to grow, and members are encouraged to help promote the app through our app cards, available to pick up at our office.
 
The app is free to download and is available on both iPhone and Android devices. 
 
>> Don't have the app? Download it here!

​As of June 1, new smart parking meters and multi-space kiosks have been installed at select locations along Baltimore Street and throughout Lincoln Square replacing the traditional coin operated parking meters. The new smart meters can still be operated using coins, but visitors now have the option to pay using a credit card or mobile app.
 
With the app, Passport Parking, smart phone users will be able to pay for their meter remotely and be reminded of when their time is set to expire and where the parked.
 
The multi-space kiosks work similarly to the kiosks in the Racehorse Alley parking garage. All visitors will need to know is their license plate number. 
 
While all parking options still cost the same as they did before, the parking meters and kiosks require a one dollar minimum for credit card users and have a maximum of two hours.
 
Richard Miller, Gettysburg Borough Parking Manager, said, "We've been getting great feedback so far and it's not as complicated [for visitors] as we thought it might be." 
 
The new smart meters and kiosks will give the Borough of Gettysburg the ability to efficiently track valuable data like occupancy, time of day, average pay, etc.
 
The addition of the new smart meters and kiosks is just a small part of a larger plan to revitalize Baltimore Street. You can read the full master plan here. 

​Annually, Destination Gettysburg's board of directors approves more than $50,000 in community donations, spread throughout Adams County. This money is used by other local organizations to host events, beautify the community or to assist with one-time projects to benefit the county for visitors and local residents alike.
 
Recently, Destination Gettysburg pledged donations of $2,500 toward the costs of the annual Halloween and Christmas parades, as well as Gettysburg Garden Club's effort to plant, water and maintain flowers throughout Downtown Gettysburg.
 
Throughout Adams County, Destination Gettysburg has made donations to assist the East Berlin VFW with the restoration of its F-14 Tomcat.
 
"Tourism gives back to the community in many ways economically," said Norris Flowers, President of Destination Gettysburg. "But we, as a fellow community organization, believe it's important to support the efforts and projects of groups throughout Adams County."
 
Coming up next month, Destination Gettysburg has once again provided the funding for the fireworks for the Fourth of July Community Concert at Gettysburg College.
 
(Pictured are Norris Flowers, left, President of Destination Gettysburg, and Andrea Proulx, right, Chair of Destination Gettysburg's Board of Directors, presenting a check to Karen Szoke, middle, President of the Gettysburg Garden Club).