Visit Bucks County Vice President Paul Bencivengo speaking at the event.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
Bucks County tourism is having a great year, according to officials.
At its annual meeting earlier this month, officials said hotel occupancy was higher this year than in past years. Some of the hotel occupancy rate highlights were a 70.2 percent hotel occupancy rate in May and an occupancy rate close to 78 percent in both July and August. The rates were among the highest seen in the past 10 years, according to Visit Bucks County Vice President Paul Bencivengo.
While other locations across the country saw regular or declining tourism figures, Bucks County had a good year and hopes to continue the trend into the fall and new year.
Jerry Lepping, president of Visit Bucks County, said it was a “record-breaking year in Bucks County.”
Officials said fall and summer are big times for tourism in the county. They pointed to the fall foliage and various summer attractions, including Sesame Place in Middletown, as big draws.
The tourism agency has worked over the past year to market Bucks County and its attractions in the New York, central Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. regions. Additional advertising and media placements around the country have also benefited, officials said.
Lunch is served! #Bucks2016 #AnnualMeeting @parxcasino pic.twitter.com/gH77RizwjS
— Visit Bucks County (@VisitBucksPA) October 14, 2016
Love this @VisitBucksPA billboard with a jut out. #bucks2016 pic.twitter.com/vvIiSfo66Q
— Tom Sofield (@BuxMontNews) October 14, 2016
Aside from print, digital and billboard ads, Visit Bucks County has worked over the past year to improve their website and the content that is offered. The tourism agency launched a revamped mobile-friendly website recently.
.@VisitBucksPA website working to add more content to website. Pageviews are up, @scullyano says 💻📱#bucks2016
— Tom Sofield (@BuxMontNews) October 14, 2016
Data shows the upgraded website and new content strategy has increased page views.
Bencivengo said that instead of listing events and local places, the website is featuring more content that visitors can share. He said photos, videos and Google 360 images are playing a bigger role in marketing the county.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
A survey of people who follow Visit Bucks County on social media indicated that 93 percent of people have offline action after seeing content about Bucks County, Bencivengo said.
Data released by Visit Philadelphia in 2014 showed tourism in Bucks County generates $937 million in economic impact and supports close to 12,000 jobs.
Bencivengo told NewtownPANow.com that he wants local attractions to continue to keep on the ball as competition from Montgomery County and the Pocono region increases.
“We are proud of our marketing successes this year and look forward to continuing to lead the tourism community to record-breaking occupancy levels in 2017 and beyond,” Lepping said.
