PA tourism marketing efforts get long-overdue upgrade

In May, Pennsylvania’s first family went on a week-long RV tour as part of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s promotion of the commonwealth’s cities, towns and, most importantly, its tourist attractions. 

The statewide bus tour, part of the Shapiro administration’s rollout of the commonwealth’s new “Great American Getaway” marketing campaign, coincided with a renewed focus by the administration and the state’s Office of Tourism to sell Pennsylvania to those outside its borders. 

Soon after the tourism rebranding, Anne Ryan, now deputy secretary of the Office of Tourism, set out to inspire the 72 million Americans who live within a four-hour drive of Pennsylvania to get onboard with the Great American Getaway. 

“(Shapiro’s) belief in the Great American Getaway is a regular part of this content strategy,” Ryan told City & State, adding that the governor’s promotion of the state – combined with a slate of high-profile sporting and historic events coming to commonwealth cities in the coming years – can go a long way toward opening the door to future investment. 

“We need funds to go out and bid and sell our state as a place for the next international fishing tournament or a girls’ lacrosse league. It costs money to go out and bid and attract sporting events and entertainment events and conferences, and (local organizations) are so thrilled to have funding,” Ryan said. “They’re equally thrilled that the Shapiro administration understands the power of tourism … What I’ve experienced is the tourism sector feels seen and supported and validated. Now, the state is in their corner to build a brand and build momentum behind getting visitors to all destinations.”

Tourism tab

At its peak, during the tenure of Gov. Tom Ridge at the turn of the century, the commonwealth was investing about $40 million per year in tourism marketing. Marginal cuts over the decades resulted in Pennsylvania hitting a new low and maintaining a stagnant $4 million tourism marketing investment from 2017 to 2024. 

Over the years, that defunding went hand-in-hand with a decline in state tax revenues: Pennsylvania’s share of the tourism market dropped in terms of both day trips and overnight trips 16.9% from the 2000s through the 2010s. 

Joe Massaro, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, told City & State that tourism economics data showed the commonwealth falling behind nearly every other state in tourism marketing, the return on investment a state can get from tax revenues and the downstream effects of out-of-state visitors. 

“We were ranked in the bottom – we had the fourth-smallest budget for tourism marketing (among all states),” Massaro said. “At that $4 million, we were competing with states that were $30-35-40 million in funding, with some of the highest states up around $80 million. The entire commonwealth just got drowned out in terms of the marketing messages that were out there.”

Now, the Shapiro administration’s focus on selling the Keystone State has reinvigorated tourism marketing – and the potential economic impacts of a revived industry. 

After Shapiro originally called for about $18 million in new tourism marketing funds, the state budget passed with a $15 million funding increase to build on the tourism rebranding and reprioritization. The increase brings state funding for tourism marketing to just over $19 million – a significant bump compared to years past but still behind other states Pennsylvania hopes to compete with for tourism dollars. Part of the funding is already being put toward the Marketing to Attract Tourists Program, which will provide funding to support and develop international tourism, sports marketing, outdoor recreation and cultural attractions.

“Here in Pennsylvania, we have it all – from top-tier sports and events, award-winning restaurants, incredible hikes and state parks, and the most important historic sites in the country that tell the story of our shared history. More people deserve the chance to come here and experience the magic of Pennsylvania for themselves,” Shapiro said before the RV tour in May. 

The Scranton-Wilkes Barre area is labeled a “15-minute city” due to its proximity to New York and many attractions in Pennsylvania. However, luring visitors goes beyond a day trip. Curt Camoni, Director of the Lackawanna County Visitors and Convention Bureau, and Bob Durkin, president of the Scranton Chamber, said their focus on a longer-term economic view. 

“What we’re trying to do is attract people to come and work for the existing businesses or to be entrepreneurs looking at a space where they can grow their business, but also maintain a quality of life for themselves and their families,” Camoni told City & State. “Our job is to make Lackawanna County better for Lackawanna Countians – the place you want to be and the place you want to work and grow your business.”

Industry impact

Tourism took a considerable hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, but those in the industry say the pandemic also allowed outdoor and sporting activities to flourish. Many local economies that rely on tourism and hospitality, including the Pocono Mountain and Erie regions, have already seen visitor numbers meet or exceed pre-pandemic levels. 

John Oliver, president and CEO of VisitErie, said Erie “came out stronger” from the pandemic than other local economies, in part due to the continued interest from tourists it received during business closures. 

“I was surprised that we were still seeing visitation coming in at a level that was higher than anticipated,” Oliver said. “I think we ... had this pent-up demand for travel coming out of COVID, when people were stuck in their house and not able to get out and move around.”

Brian Bossuyt, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, expressed similar sentiments, adding that the Poconos experienced a 10% increase in stays in 2020 compared to 2019. 

“We didn’t think it was possible,” Bossuyt said. “Then, over the next few years, we’ve continued to be pretty steady in growth.”

State Sen. Rosemary Brown, who represents the Poconos, said it’s “extremely important to balance the residents with the tourism industry” so that employers and employees can flourish. She said the “home away from home” feeling many people experienced at a lake house or beach house during the pandemic is now being sought as a standard for where and when to stay. 

“Short-term rentals after the COVID pandemic also became much larger in the fact that people wanted their own home and their own house when they traveled with family rather than being in a hotel,” Brown told City & State. “I think you saw a lot of people investing and buying these homes to do short-term rentals.”

According to November 2024 data provided by Bossuyt, the Pocono Mountain region saw a 21% increase in lodging occupancy this year compared to the same period in 2023. At the same time, revenue for hotels and vacation homes was up more than 21% year over year for November as well. 

The state’s largest tourism market – the Philadelphia region – has shown a similar but slower recovery. 

In 2023, according to data from Visit Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau from Tourism Economics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the five-county Philadelphia region welcomed 42.9 million visitors in 2023 – a 6% increase from the prior year, but still 6% below pre-pandemic levels in 2019, with nearly 200,000 people in the region employed in hospitality-related jobs. 

Marketing plans

As the state looks to boost its standing among best places to go, officials working in tourism say it’s one of the best returns on investment for any public expenditure. Massaro boasted that every dollar spent on tourism marketing generates about $4.47 in state and local taxes and adds an additional $65 in visitor spending. 

“Tourism marketing and investment, from a state perspective, is one of the very few line items that see a real return in the same year they spend that money,” Camoni said. “You will see the turn in the taxes collected and in the economic impact.”

Tourism experts say they’re excited to see a governor focus on the issue once more, and hope that continued investment will spur even more economic growth. 

“Restaurants, hotels, other tourist attractions – they’re the providers of goods and services to tourists. So as those visitor numbers increase, those businesses get a chance to grow their revenue and perhaps expand their operations – that generates more tax dollars and allows the opportunity for more employment,” Massaro said. 

Bing Pan, a Penn State professor who studies tourism data, said even State College, an area many would consider “in the middle of nowhere,” has nature walks and other activities that could attract visitors. 

“There is no big brand here. You know of Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, but here is almost in the middle of nowhere, but it’s absolutely beautiful,” Pan said. “So the question is how to build a brand out of the middle of nowhere.”

Pan and tourism experts said the other trend coming out of the pandemic is the growth seen in both international and sporting tourism – two areas Pennsylvania is primed to take advantage of as Philadelphia prepares to host FIFA World Cup matches in 2026 – just one of many large-scale events coming to the commonwealth. 

“Meetings and conventions continue to grow. We often don’t think of that as a tourism driver, but it is. As people travel to meetings and conferences, they’re visiting a new location and spending as such,” Massaro said, adding that his biggest wish is for tourism funding to go toward marketing existing attractions.

“There are some who might feel that using some of that marketing money for infrastructure and actual brick-and-mortar attractions would help. But I often would use the example of that if you’re using all your money to build a factory, then nobody knows you have something for sale when it comes time to promote it,” Massaro said. 

With tourism now a priority in Harrisburg, those on the ground are hopeful that continued investments can expedite efforts to bring more tourists to Pennsylvania. 

“Shapiro has definitely looked at and recognized the importance that tourism plays in the economy, not only with visitor spending, but also what it creates in terms of jobs,” Oliver said. “We’re starting to catch up a bit, but we still have a ways to go.”