Gettysburg has been named the friendliest city in America according to Booking.com and that generosity of spirit transfers to dollars and cents that benefits Adams County residents. “That really speaks to the experiences that Gettysburg provides,” Karl Pietrzak, President of Destination Gettysburg told local leaders at last week’s Adams County Council of Governments (ACCOG) meeting.
Pietrzak said three major events in 2023 — the production of the film “A Christmas in Gettysburg,” the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, and the 30th anniversary of the movie, “Gettysburg,” brought revenue up to nearly pre-pandemic levels. Those events resulted in $60.8 million tax revenue which “supports our tourism industry and also our community,” he said.
The National Park Service estimates that nearly one million visitors come to the area each year and the Destination Gettysburg marketing plan provides businesses with information about where they come from, their reason for visiting, length of stay, and money spent. Since nearly one-half of the visitors are day trippers, the largest group in 2023 was from Pennsylvania followed, by Maryland, and Virginia. International visitation makes up a minor portion of the total, with key markets coming from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
According to the data, visitors are split nearly equally between men and women, most with some college education and with incomes ranging up to $75,000. Nearly half are married, and families with children account for 25 percent of visitors The slowest month for visitation is January, while the summer and fall months see the bulk of tourists. Growing numbers spend at least one night. About 50 percent are repeat visitors.
The top places visitors saw last year were the National Visitors Center, Outlet Shoppes of Gettysburg, Dobbin House Tavern, Lady Daniel Farm, Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum, Battlefield Harley Davidson, Mr. Ed’s, and Hershey Park.
Destination Gettysburg is the official destination marketing organization for Gettysburg and Adams County. The organization is funded by receiving most of the 5 percent “pillow tax” collected from visitors. Originally formed as the Gettysburg Tavel Council in 1955, it has grown to over 300 business partners and two locations. It uses data collected from several marketing services and organizations to “promote Adams County to all the people who might be interested in visiting here,” Pietrzak said.
The organization’s Black History Trail launched in late June with a number of partner organizations hopes to increase minority visitation. “The ratio of African American visitors is relatively low. We estimate around six percent overall and the goal of the trail is to attract Black travelers to Gettysburg to learn about some of the history of the Black community here,” said Pietrzak.
The Adams County Blossom Belt driving tour, which began last spring, visitors through the orchards of the upper part of the county, to view blossoming apple, pear, peach, and apricot trees. The Adams Country Crop Hop runs from May 1 to December 31 to align with the growing season and promote the area’s large agricultural interests, and the Adams Country Pour Tour highlights the local craft beverage industry.
Destination Gettysburg uses six social media channels, a monthly newsletter, and a team of marketers to maintain and hopefully increase the number of visitors to the area. In 2023, it added a podcast that has been listened to more than 2,000 times.
Other ACCOG Business
In other council business, Barbara Underwood, one of the original organizers of ACCOG, emphasized the importance of improved communication between the municipalities and the five volunteer fire departments that serve them. She said that because many of the Adams County residents work outside the county, the number of volunteers is dropping. Equipment prices are rising dramatically and training required of the volunteers takes more time.
ACCOG has contacted area municipal leaders encouraging them to view the Financing Fire Services study completed in 2013 and still relevant today. According to Ron Harris, ACCOG president, that study cost $20,000 and was paid for by the municipalities, the Adams County Volunteer Emergency Services Association, and grant money. Harris asked for volunteers who might have an interest in a committee to determine interest in renewing the study.
Adams County Commissioner Randy Phiel reported that the PA Ag Discovery Center is moving along toward a proposed location across from the Amblebrook residential development on Route 15. “That’s really a feather in our cap,” Phiel said, adding that Adams County competed with Cumberland, Dauphin, and Lancaster Counties for the project. Phiel said the center would provide agricultural education for youth on careers in agriculture and agritourism, and offer visitors a chance to discover what agriculture in Pennsylvania is all about.
Phiel said he was pleased to announce that 300 attendees from across the state would be attending the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania conference in Adams County for the second time in six years.
A spokesman for Congressman John Joyce announced that the Federal Aviation Administration had awarded a $708,000 grant for the improvement of the Gettysburg Regional Airport. In addition, the Congressman will be meeting the Ambassadors of Ireland and France at the National Military Park and Visitor Center July 5, 11 a.m.
The next meeting of ACCOG will be July 18, 8:30 a.m., at Adams County Emergency Services, 230 Greenmyer Lane, Gettysburg.
Judith Cameron Seniura is a freelance reporter. She began her journalism career in the early ‘70s and has written for newspapers, magazines, and other media in Ontario, Canada, Alaska, Michigan, Nebraska, San Antonio, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.