A Q&A with Mary Jo Daley

As majority chair of the House Tourism, Recreation and Economic Development Committee, Democratic state Rep. Mary Jo Daley has a unique perspective on all that the state has to offer. 

In an interview with City & State, Daley discussed how the committee played a key role in securing more tourism funding, praised the state’s new tourism brand and highlighted regions of the state that are leaning into their unique identities to attract more visitors.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

You’ve chaired this committee over multiple terms. What are some of your proudest accomplishments?

I think the thing that I feel the proudest of was that the budget for the tourism department, which is in DCED … was around $4 million. You’re reading about other states that have budgets of $70 million, lots more money. We really pushed to get more money for that department because it couldn’t really do advertising in some ways. … I feel really good about it that we, in a bipartisan way, were able to make a case, so we did get more money. It’s up to $15 million, which is way better than $4 million. There were some increases in tourism destination marketing organizations and sports tourism.

Are there any issues or agenda items you look forward to addressing in the new term?

There’s a tourism improvement district bill that we’re going to be pushing for – it's enabling legislation that would authorize counties to establish one or more tourism improvement districts. It’s a fee assessed for hotels, but it also can bring in money for marketing, event promotion, and special events. So that was introduced last session; one of the committee members introduced it, and I’m hoping she will introduce it again. Berks County was interested in it. Allegheny County was also very interested. Because it’s enabling legislation, counties don’t have to do it, but if they want to do it, they can do this as a way to increase tourism funds coming into their area. 

What type of impact do you think the state’s new “Great American Getaway” tourism brand will have on the its tourism economy and tourism at large?

I actually really like the slogan. It makes me feel good: “Pennsylvania, The Great American Getaway.” My understanding of the reasoning for that also came from the proximity of Pennsylvania to so many areas where it’s, tops, a four-hour drive to come here. My recollection is, when they were presenting that new slogan, that younger people and younger families were looking at weekend getaways – or couples looking for a weekend getaway. So I think it was geared towards younger people and that you don’t have to go to the airport to go somewhere that’s interesting and fun. 

We have so much to offer in so many different ways. Seventy-two million people live within a four-hour drive of thousands of getaways and experiences in the state. Apparently, there were early indicators showing that Pennsylvania is in a growth mode: More hotel rooms were booked in 2024 compared to 2023. It’s good to know that people are making reservations and visiting. People are buying into it. It gives me a feeling of satisfaction that it’s working.

As chair, you’ve gotten to see different parts of the state. Are there any regions or places that you were impressed by or particularly excited about?

In November, after the election, we did a tour of the Lehigh Valley. We visited Bethlehem, Easton and Allentown. We stayed in a hotel in Bethlehem. The energy in those three communities was so terrific. In Bethlehem, you can see these big steel towers; they’re huge and rusty-looking – it was an industry that was no longer going to support the economy. Bethlehem Steel closed up, and the people who were presenting information to us were inspiring because they were going to survive and build something, and they did – with arts and culture.