Pennsylvania Dutch Country Visitors Center       501 Greenfield Road, Lancaster, PA 17601       717-299-8901       www.padutchcountry.com
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News & Updates


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IdeaLink - April 2011

Three not to be missed events!

  1. May 17 Member Briefing & Peer-to-Peer Presentation
    Join us on Tuesday, May 17 for our next Member Briefing and Peer-to-Peer presentation. The meeting will be held from 1-3 at the Iris Club, 323 N. Duke Street, Lancaster. More details to come, but we encourage you to register now by clicking here!
     
  2. Save the date
    June 22 Annual Gathering & Awards Reception
    We're planning a great event and hope you will be able to join us! More details and an opportunity to RSVP headed your way shortly. For now, be sure to save the date on your calendar.
     
  3. May 12: Head to Tanger Outlets as they aim for a Guinness World Record™!
    Head to Tanger Outlets on Thursday, May 12 -- and encourage our visitors to do the same – in order to be a part of the World's Largest Dessert Reception and for a chance to win a $10,000 shopping spree. The World's Largest Dessert Reception will take place from 2:30 -4:00 p.m. as they attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the Largest Dessert Party! Attendees are also encouraged to sign up for a chance to win one of three $10,000 shopping sprees.

    The festivities are part of a month-long celebration of Tanger Outlets' 30th anniversary celebration.

Examining current industry trends

Dr. Suzanne Cook, U.S. Travel Association
With the summer travel season fast approaching, the U.S. travel industry hopes to reflect the weather's sunny forecast. Although we have seen encouraging signs of economic recovery, the industry remains cautious about solid travel performance in the months to come. Rising inflation and gas prices have consumers feeling less confident that the recession has truly ended and doubtful that recent economic and employment growth is sustainable. Despite this uncertainty, surveys show that consumer spending habits and buying attitudes remain restrained but up slightly from last year. Data have also revealed strength in 2011 Spring Break travel thus far, indicating the potential for a modestly improved summer travel season, especially within the leisure travel segment.
More

1st quarter lodging summary offers insights on health of Lancaster's tourism industry

Statistically for Lancaster County, the first quarter was one of the best of the last six years. One of the best measures our industry has to determine how tourism is performing is the lodging properties' data we subscribe to through Smith Travel Research, an industry reporting and trend company.

  • For the first quarter, room occupancy increased 12.2% to 38.6% in 2011 compared to last year. In comparison to one of our best years in 2007, occupancy increased 7.5% in 2011.
  • Room rates continued to be flat versus last year hovering around $80 and even decreased almost $2 compared to 2009. The combination of increased occupancy and flat average daily rate (ADR), lead to a revenue per available room (RevPAR) increase of 11%, with RevPAR increasing from $27.57 in 2010 to $30.61 in 2011.
  • Lancaster sold about 25,000 more room nights in the first quarter of 2011 compared with 2010; an increase of 11.2%.
  • Room revenue showed strong growth of almost $2 million.
  • The forecast for 2011 is very optimistic according to Smith Travel Research. They are projecting about a 7.0% growth in RevPAR (roughly 4% occupancy and 3% rate growth)

The chart below shows statistics for Lancaster (1st Quarter) over the last six years.

Lancaster County tourism in the news

Our communications staff works with our members to garner free publicity for Lancaster tourism in media outlets around the region, the country, and the globe. Below are just a few recent results of these efforts on behalf of our world-class travel destination, and you can see more in our monthly clip books here.

Through the end of March 2011, the PA Dutch CVB has realized more than $4.1 million in domestic ad equivalency through our earned media (PR) efforts. Ad value is the amount it would cost to place an advertisement of equal size to the article in the publication.

Great reads!

  1. 10 Ways to Turn Online Reviews into More Loyal Customers
    Companies like Google, Yelp, UrbanSpoon, CitySearch and many others have made it easy and convenient for customers to share their thoughts with the world. And they're not just talking about what they had for breakfast. They're telling the world what they think of YOUR BUSINESS. Smart companies are using these online reviews to attract and keep more customers. More
     
  2. What Makes Facebook Fan Pages Successful?
    Well-known brands like Coca-Cola and Starbucks have had success turning their Facebook fan pages into popular sites with millions of fans. Local businesses are also leveraging the site and can learn from their global neighbors. More
     
  3. Forrester: 2011 Mobile Trends
    Forrester has issued its annual report outlining top mobile trends for the upcoming year. The research firm says it correctly predicted in 2010 that the Android would emerge as a rival to other platforms, social and mobile would expand their "love affair," and app stores would flourish but not replicate Apple's success. So what's the outlook for 2011? Here are some of Forrester's key trends for this year. More

PA State Police to conduct motorcoach inspection in Lancaster and Chester Counties

The US Dept. of Transportation has prioritized transportation safety and to ensure that all appropriate standards are met to achieve that goal, motorcoach inspections will routinely occur in Lancaster and Chester Counties in 2011. Inspections of motorcoaches are conducted to detect physical and mechanical defects in those vehicles, to ensure that motorcoach operators are properly licensed and hold a valid medical certificate, and to ensure that the motorcoach operators are in compliance within the federal hours-of-service limitations. A letter from Pennsylvania State Police Captain Brenda Bernot further explains the status of motorcoach inspections in Pennsylvania. A complete list of PSP's motorcoach inspection protocol is also available.

Keep abreast of what's happening in Lancaster County

By subscribing to our TravelGuide e-news you'll be in the know when it comes to events, deals and discounts in Lancaster County. Subscribing is free and easy. Simply click here.

April board meeting recap

The PA Dutch CVB Board of Directors met on April 14. During the meeting, the board approved six new members and the March minutes (now available for viewing in the member section of our website); they also reviewed and adopted a new mission statement, voted and approved the 2010 CVB audit report, and received an update on New Product Development. The April minutes will be available for viewing after they are approved by the Board at the next meeting on May 12.

Industry newsmakers

  • Clipper Magazine Stadium unveils pinball hall of fame. Trips to carnivals, amusement parks and arcades will all be invoked this summer at Clipper Magazine Stadium with the opening of the Silverball Museum Arcade on the suite level of the ballpark on Prince Street.

    The Silverball Museum will be among the largest collections of vintage pinball machines and other arcade games open for public play within the borders of Pennsylvania with more than 50 on hand. It will feature several televisions with sports programming as well as video of the art of pinball machine manufacturing and historical timelines.

    Initially, the Silverball Museum Arcade will be available for group functions only during Barnstormers game days and for non-game days.
     
  • Dutch Wonderland introduces two new rides at this weekend's grand reopening. New in 2011 are the Kite Flight and Leapin' Frogs, as well as a live interactive stage-show, "Dress Up n' Dance!" The Kite Flight allows guests to experience the sensation of free-flight while gliding 17 feet in the air! Leapin' Frogs is a classic jump-around ride themed with frogs and lily pads. Children ride in frog-themed seats while bouncing up and down in a circle. "Dress Up n' Dance!" is a live, interactive stage show. Children can be a part of the show by singing and dancing along with the performers. The show is sure to provide non-stop music, laughs, and of course, dancing!
     
  • Kudos to Jan Garrabrandt of Artist’s Inn & Gallery, and Kathy Vogt of Vogt Farm B&B, finalists for the 2011 Spirit of Hospitality Award for Innkeeper of the Year, to be presented next week by the PA Tourism & Lodging Association (PTLA)! These prestigious awards recognize outstanding qualities that set the standards for the entire industry.
     
  • Congrats to Annie Bailey's Irish Pub & Restaurant, recently voted by IrishCentral readers as the best place to have a Guinness in the U.S. After thousands of nominations, via Twitter, Facebook and comments, the IrishCentral readers have spoken and voted Annie Bailey's Irish Pub, in Downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania the best spot in the United States to drink a pint of Guinness.
     
  • Hilton's DoubleTree Resort brand hotels have been re-branded to include the words "by Hilton." The new name, then, for the Lancaster property (formerly the Willow Valley Resort & Conference Center), is Doubletree Resort by Hilton, Lancaster.
     
  • Kudos to Australian Walkabout Inn B&B innkeeper Lynne Griffin who was featured in the Lifestyle section of the Intelligencer Journal / Lancaster New Era on her "one-dish wonder" breakfast casseroles!

Please join us in welcoming these new members

Questions or Comments?

Contact Janet Wall at jwall@padutchcountry.com, or 717-391-6005.

Printer-Friendly Version of the April 2011 IdeaLink > (PDF file)

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