VisitMercerCountyPA is the marketing leader for the travel and tourism industry in Mercer County with the goal to expand and strengthen travel and tourism and enhance the overall economy of Mercer County.
PRESIDENT/CEO MESSAGE
After almost two years of uncertainty due to the pandemic, Travel and Tourism began to rebound during fiscal year 2021/22. Pent up demand and easing of restrictions led the way for tourists to make the decision to get on the roads, on the water and in the air. They were eager to have fun experiences, enjoy scenic locations and visit family and friends they hadn’t seen in two years. The Travel and Tourism industry scrambled to meet this demand. Staff had to be called back, supply chain issues and revenue losses from the pandemic had to be resolved. Staff shortages became the new norm causing tourism sites to shorten their hours. Some were even forced to close for short periods until they could attract and train additional staff. Then gas prices went up significantly and the cost to travel also went up significantly. The visitor had to learn to have more patience in this new set of circumstances and adjust their budget, but the desire for travel was still strong. During the pandemic, the Mercer County Tourism program experienced about a 33% drop in revenue falling to $619,850.00 due to travel restrictions and an overall decline in travel. However by 2021/22 our hotel excise receipts outpaced FY 2019 by 4% increasing to $975,000.00. We are definitely seeing signs of recovery in Mercer County.
Hotel Excise Tax: FY 2021/22
$975,290.00
FY 2020/21 $619,850.00
FY 2019/20 $932,176.00
While many destination marketing organizations suspended marketing during the pandemic we made a decision to continue our online campaigns including: Web tracker, Google, Facebook, native content advertising, Over the Top TV, email blasts, videos on Youtube/website and others. We felt it was important to keep Mercer County top of mind for future travel decisions.
Our industry continue to face challenges even as pandemic restrictions ease. Increased costs, supply chain issues, staff shortages and bringing back a higher level of visits from our main international market (Canada) are just a few. However we are positioning ourselves to meet these challenges. Mercer County is a wonderful place for those authentic and diverse experiences that travelers are looking for. We are centrally located, and we have the vision and leadership to create new products and packages to help Mercer County’s tourism industry grow.
WaterFireSharon: July 23 and Sept. 24
Lake to Lake Paddle Challenge: August 27
SkyDive Festival: August 5 – 7
Thinking Outside the Box
COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING
In County VMCPA members can participate in cooperative advertising which helps stretch their marketing dollars. Up to $18,000.00 is available for each partnership. The Bureau provides a dollar for dollar match on advertising to promote overnight stays and a 50% match on advertising that promote day trips. Two or more partners must work together and submit an application to access this program.
TOURISM ATTRACTION DEVELOPMENT GRANT
The Mercer County Tourism Attraction Development Grant (MCTAG) provides funds for the development and expansion of tourism attractions in Mercer County PA. The maximum amount available is determined each fiscal year and must be leveraged with at least 50% of eligible project expenditures from other sources. Up to $20,000.00 is available per approved project.
SUPPORT FOR FESTIVAL MARKETING
$20,000.00 is earmarked for direct grants to Festivals & Fairs to assist them in promoting their event.
LOCAL BILLBOARD PROGRAM
The agency pays 1/2 of the cost of local billboards up to $1,000.00. VisitMercerCountyPA.com must be shown prominently on the billboard (mobile or stationary)
WEBSITE CONVERSIONS
Our major campaigns (shopping, golf, outdoor adventure, wine and brew trail, and romantic getaways) have a direct call to action and generate thousands of requests. Over 100,000 visitors come to our website yearly to find information on things to do and places to stay. When the potential visitor come to our site they are invited to complete a form requesting our brochures and any specific information they need to make a decision. Weekly we get hundreds of these forms submitted asking for the visitors guide, coupon book or a wine and brew tour/itinerary, requesting a golf quote or an outdoor adventure.
GIVEAWAY MONDAYS AND OTHER FACEBOOK ACTIVITIES
Features a member property and a giveaway of $25 or $50 to spend at their site. Videos of member sites on Facebook.
NON TRADITIONAL APPROACH
TOURISM
CASH PROMOTION ON FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND
Tourism cash giveaway over the Father’s Day Weekend.
MAJOR PROJECTS
Up to $500,000.00 over a 5 year span ($100,000.00/year max) may be awarded to assist in the development of major tourism projects that help Mercer County achieve the following goals:
Provide the potential for significant new overnight stays in at least one area of the county where there is high hotel density.
Assist Mercer County to become an all season destination. Attractions that have the potential to draw visitors year round including the winter months (January –March) will receive high consideration.
For the major projects grant we are looking for a game changer. An example of a game changer would be the Grove City Premium Outlets or a comparable project that would generate thousands of room nights annually.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Direct development and/or partnership to implement a new event with a close tie-in to our campaigns. In the FY 2021-22 fiscal year the board approved the Tri-State PGA, Lake to Lake Paddle Challenge and SkyDive Festival.
Tourism Acronyms
ABA American Bus Association
DMO Destination Marketing Organization
FAM Familiarization Tour
GTG Group Tour Guide
NTA National Tour Association
OMCA Ontario Motorcoach Association
OVG Official Visitors Guide
PBA Pennsylvania Bus Association
RMI Regional Marketing Initiative
ROI Return on Investment
SEO Search Engine Optimization
TIA Travel Industry Association of America
TPA Tourist Promotion Agency
VFR Visiting Friends & Relatives
Marketing
PR
Several Blogs written weekly. Each blog is promoted on Facebook and also shared in an email blast
Weekly email blasts to over 10,000 who have opted in on our list
Interviews with WKBN-TV, Youngstown Business Journal, WXED– FM radio
The Herald and other local news picked up press releases on Avenue of 444 Flags, Keystone Safari, National Button Box Festival, Greenville Heritage Days and many other events and attractions.
Attractions from Mercer County featured on the VisitPA website
Logo on 20 festival brochures and marketing pieces
RON PIVOVAR, ORGANIZER OF THE NATIONAL BUTTON BOX FESTIVAL STATES:
“The Mercer County Tourism Program is light years ahead of any area we’ve worked with.”
THROUGH OUR REGIONAL AFFILIATION WITH PA’S GREAT LAKES REGION
Ads in PA Visitors Guide and VisitPA.com
$10,000.00 in Free Google advertising available each month to the region
Promoted the region at Heartland Travel Showcase—Cleveland, OH
Completed Regional Group Tour Guide
Marketed our region as a fishing destination
PUBLICATIONS PRINTED
MARKETING HIGHLIGHTS
SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORTS
We had a great year of social media growth!
We engaged over 23,000 followers on Facebook
We really revamped our Instagram page to add more engaging photos and Reels (which we got a great response on)
Twitter we continued to supply good information about our wonderful local attractions with links to always get more information.
Features:
Storytelling
We were the first to give you a peek at many local attractions
We did a lot more video content for Facebook and Instagram including “live videos”
We did some photo shoots with models at different locations
We began running targeted ads
Tourism Week Campaign with our fellow Visitor Bureaus
Tourism Cash Campaign/ with photo shoots to promote
Promoting all the great events/ being present as much as possible to get photos and videos
As we continue:
High quality engaging photos especially with people enjoying our attractions/ that can be used for our pages and our member pages
Video, video and more video
Engaging ads
Publications Printed
Keep with our wonderful Monday Blues Giveaways that not only help promote, but also support our great members.
Future projects:
We will be starting a TikTok page to help engagement
MARKETING HIGHLIGHTS Marketing
GOLF
All the golf shows were cancelled in 2021 mainly due to supply chain issues. Below is the list of golf shows we generally attend.
Cleveland Golf Show
Niagara Golf Show
Pittsburgh Golf Show
Toronto, ON, Canada Golf Show
Our golf members indicate that golf is on the rise and golf courses are enjoying high demand from individuals and groups
WINE & BREW TRAIL
Wines, Brews, Spirits and Good Times Trailing Through Mercer County
One of our top sellers this year has been the wine, brew and spirits trail. We provide customized itineraries and help with arranging transportation if needed, meals and logistics. This tour is very popular with visitors seeking to celebrate special occasions such bridal showers, anniversaries, birthdays, etc.
GROUP TOUR UPDATE
Many of the motorcoach shows we usually attend were cancelled. However we contined to work with motorcoach companies as group travel started to return. Examples of companies we assisted are:
