Destination Gettysburg is excited to welcome Katie Thomas to our team as the new sales assistant. In her role, Katie will be working with the sales department to help bring meetings and group tours to Gettysburg.
 
"I am excited to begin my position as sales assistant at Destination Gettysburg and provide administrative support for the sales team here," said Katie.
 
Having received her bachelor's degree in Communications from Spring Arbor University in Michigan, Katie brings with her six years of administrative experience in various settings- the last being at the University of Chicago Laboratory School.
 
Katie is looking forward to working with the team and seeing what she can bring to the destination.
 
>> Contact Katie

Destination Gettysburg presents the Adams County Arts Council with a check for $3,000 for the New Year’s Eve Celebration in Downtown Gettysburg. From left is Norris Flowers, President of Destination Gettysburg; Chris Gladfelter, Executive Director of the Adams County Arts Council; and Del Gudmestad, Chair of Destination Gettysburg’s Board of Directors.

​Destination Gettysburg has launched a new Facebook page as a way to share stories about the tourism community of Adams County, Pa., as well as drive traffic to its industry website, GettysburgTourismWorks.com.
 
Like the website, the Facebook page will share content related to the tourism industry including the people and places that make the industry a success, tourism research and marketing efforts, and promote the site's most popular page, job listings.
 
Destination Gettysburg created the website, and later the Facebook page, as a better way to communicate the important work of the industry to support the local economy through tourism. The site is both a resource for information about the industry and organization, as well as a place to learn about Destination Gettysburg's marketing to attract visitors and share information about programs such as Hospitality Heroes.
 
Destination Gettysburg strongly encourages those within the tourism community to follow Gettysburg Tourism Works on Facebook and visit the website frequently for updates on programs and other marketing.
 
>> Follow the Facebook Page

Destination ​Gettysburg's Hospitality Hero program, which launched this Spring, is off to a strong start - bringing together front-line employees in Adams County's tourism community in a variety of ways.
 
The program engages employees who interact with visitors - including restaurant servers, bus drivers, hotel front desk staff, housekeepers, tour guides and other jobs in the local tourism industry.
 
"The work of front-line employees is critically important to the visitors' experience in Adams County," said Norris Flowers, President of Destination Gettysburg. "This program is an important tool to keep workers informed of upcoming events, educated on the experiences throughout the destination, and provide a network for them to be part of."
 
So far, the program has welcomed dozens of employees into this network and has hosted three events for front-line workers - including a battlefield tour and visit to the National Riding Stables.
 
Business owners and managers are encouraged to get their front-line employees engaged with this program.
 
More about the Hospitality Hero program can be found here.
 
>> Have Questions about the Hospitality Hero Program?

​The Federal Pointe Inn was honored last week by Pennsylvania Meetings & Events Magazine as Editor's Choice for "Best Unique Hotel for Small Groups." The recognition was given as part of the publication's annual Best of Pennsylvania awards in Philadelphia.
 
Editor Nancy DePalma chose the Federal Pointe Inn after visiting in Fall 2015 as part of Destination Gettysburg's Culinary Media Tour that year.
 
Federal Pointe Inn owner and general manager Peter Monahan attended the ceremony in Philadelphia alongside Destination Gettysburg President Norris Flowers and Vice President Stacey Fox.
 
Destination Gettysburg, itself, was named a runner-up for "Best CVB in Town/Area Less Than 300,000 in Population."
 
Other members honored last week include Premiere #1 Limousine and Appalachian Brewing Company.

T​he American Bus Association (ABA) publishes "Destinations," a bi-monthly magazine that reaches 7,500 ABA members and group tour decision-makers. Each year, the September-October edition of Destinations features winners of ABA's Best of the Best, which highlights the "best of the best" across different categories of travel suppliers such as hotel/lodging, restaurant/dining, shopping venue, theater, museum, casino/gaming, attraction and events.
 
The Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center was selected as a winner of the Best of the Best - National Parks category, and the museum is being featured in the magazine's most recent issue. The GNMP Museum & Visitor Center is the only winner for this category, and is featured with a brief look into what groups can experience at with the Cyclorama painting, "A New Birth of Freedom" film, Licensed Battlefield Guide tours and the Eisenhower National Historic Site.
 
This feature is great exposure for the museum, as well as our destination, especially with ABA's Annual Conference coming up in January 2018, where representatives from Destination Gettysburg and several local businesses will attend and meet with group tour decision-makers from across the United States.
 
For more information on becoming a member of the American Bus Association and attending the annual conference, please click here.  For general group tour questions, please contact Group Sales Manager Nicole Absher.