Gettysburg was featured in a national article - "Three Weekend Getaways for History-Loving Families" earlier this month. 

The article appeared on USNews.com, formerly U.S. News & World Report. The website draws 20 million unique monthly visitors.

The article also included St. Louis, Mo., and Rapid City, S.D. - home to Mount Rushmore.

"To engage families and ensure learning about America's past is fun for younger visitors, Gettysburg is making history come to life through battlefield tours, high-tech iPad technology and state-of-the-art museums," the article read.

Included in the story were Gettysburg National Military Park, Eisenhower National Historic Site, Soldiers' National Cemetery, the Farnsworth House Tavern and Gettysburg Hotel.

The article was secured after a pitch by the Destination Gettysburg communications team.

>> Read the Article

Hotel occupancy throughout Adams County is off to a strong start, according to data provided by Smith Travel Research (STR), which measures overnight stays and other lodging data.

According to the report, occupancy and demand for hotel rooms in Adams County among participating hotels is up 7.1 percent in the first quarter of 2017, as compared to the previous year. 

The total number of hotel rentals among participating hotels through the first quarter of 2017 is 74,742, significantly higher than previous years, including 2013 when Gettysburg commemorated the 150th anniversary.

In addition, the average daily rate for the first quarter of 2017 is $83.02, up 2.2 percent over 2016.

>> More Research

​Join Destination Gettysburg, May 7-13, 2017, in celebrating National Travel & Tourism Week. Annually, destinations across the United States use this time to highlight the benefits of the tourism industry and the impact that travel has on our communities.
 
In Adams County, we know that tourism is big business, bringing in more than $660 million in visitor spending, generating $130 million in tax revenue and supporting more than 7,500 jobs.
 
Destination Gettysburg is celebrating National Travel & Tourism Week with a variety of events and programs to increase awareness among the community, elected officials and the thousands of workers in the industry.
 
More details are coming, but in the meantime, mark your calendars for Friday, May 12, for Destination Gettysburg's third annual National Tourism Week Community Picnic, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Destination Gettysburg's inaugural Online Job Fair opened last week to local job seekers looking to connect with area employers as the spring and summer visitor seasons ramp up.
 
Throughout the week, more than 1,200 unique visitors browsed through the site's more than 120 jobs posted by local businesses to GettysburgTourismWorks.com.
 
An Online Job Fair acts similarly to a traditional job fair - only digitally. Companies and organizations who are looking for help this year were asked to fill out a job posting form, and Destination Gettysburg's marketing team is promoting this online event to schools, community centers, and through other marketing throughout the county.
 
This project is supported by GettysburgTourismWorks.com - a website dedicated to sharing the story of tourism as an industry. As part of that site, Destination Gettysburg has posted thousands of full-, part-time and seasonal jobs available to the public since launching the online feature in 2015. The jobs page continues to be the site's most visited page.

Five ​hundred group travel leaders and 16 tour operators converged on Adams County last week as part of Maryland Motorcoach Association's Annual Marketplace - an opportunity for destinations and businesses to connect with those that organize group travel.
 
Dozens of Destination Gettysburg's members participated in the Maryland Motorcoach Association Marketplace - either through the expo or afternoon FAM tours.
 
Destination Gettysburg has received great feedback on the event from expo exhibitors as well as group travel leaders and tour operators.

At left, James Hayney - an Abraham Lincoln presenter - talks with group travel leaders in the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg.

Check out our photo gallery here.