Q&A with State Sen. Rosemary Brown

January is a big time of year for the northeastern part of the commonwealth – especially the Pocono region, where nearly 30 million people visit each year to take in the area’s wide range of outdoor sporting activities. State Sen. Rosemary Brown, a Republican representing Monroe County and parts of Lackawanna and Wayne counties, understands and trumpets the impact that tourism has on local businesses and communities. 

The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Can you talk about the legislation you’re introducing regarding the risks in sporting and recreational activities? 

That idea came from a small business owner where they let you take canoes out for the day down the Delaware River. We discussed the amount of paperwork and the lines that were building up as they were preparing for a day of visitors during high peak times. They mentioned that the ski resorts back in the day had a tag about an activity's inherent risk. Basically, we're looking at something very similar to a ski ticket that you would usually put on your jacket that has the language in there for the inherent risk of the activity. If you’re rock climbing or ziplining, things of that nature, and you don’t have a ticket on you, there would still be a form or a piece of paper that you would be given once your payment is done, and it would have the inherent risk liability on there. 

As we move forward in the discussion, we need to see what that looks like, what some other states might be doing, and what our tourism divisions and visitor bureaus across the state think would be best. I think the model is looking at the ski resort ticket and saying, ‘That's how we want something done.’ We want something very similar, where you can go enjoy an activity, purchase your ticket, and know that the provisions are there. 

What does the tourism sector mean to the Pocono region?

Tourism is the No. 1 industry in the Poconos region. Therefore, it's extremely important to balance the residents with the tourism industry so that it can help support employment and our tax base while still offering a wonderful place to live. 

We have our Kalahari Resort, our Camelback Resort, our Great Wolf Lodge and all these wonderful resorts – they bring in tax revenue – almost $15 million in 2023. And Monroe County had almost $11 million of that – it’s a tremendous amount of dollars. There are probably about 35,000 people in the tourism industry that we directly employ, so about 64% of the labor income is in tourism for the Pocono Mountains – that's the highest in Pennsylvania. 

What’s a trend you’re seeing now in the region and tourism sector?

The Vrbo and AirBnB market skyrocketed after COVID. It’s just kind of amplified that when people travel, they do like that “home away from home” while still going in to do day passes or other activities. It did, and it still does, affect our inventory for primary home ownership here in the Poconos, because some of those homes that would be primary residences are now short-term rentals.

What are some of your favorite activities and outings in the Pocono region? 

It probably sounds very simplistic, but I think the hiking trails of the Poconos, especially in the Delaware Water Gap area – unless you're a true hiker, sometimes they don’t get the attention and appreciation they deserve. I think many people can enjoy that – the views are beautiful – but even some of our locals just haven't taken the time or don't know where to start that trail. Everyone should take the time to do that and really see how beautiful it is. In the Jim Thorpe area, there are some nice biking trails – and ziplining, rockclimbing and canoeing, whitewater rafting – there’s so much to do. 

Sometimes, we can take it for granted that we live here. I would encourage the residents to enjoy the beauty of some of our trails and our tourism activities that people come in here to actually do…I’m a huge skier and grew up skiing. I don’t ski as much now because of the time commitment but skiing has always been my favorite.