BUCK COUNTY, PA (October 13, 2017) – Visit Bucks County (VBC), the official tourism promotion agency for Bucks County, Pennsylvania held its Annual Meeting & Luncheon on Friday, October 13 at the Sheraton Bucks County Hotel in Langhorne, PA. A theme of the event was driving visitation through local influence as VBC shared its latest locally inspired digital video series, Well Seasoned food and beverage magazine, newly developed blog, main street photo walks and plans for future destination development. Visit Bucks County closed the event by distributing “Visit Bucks County Awards” to local business owners who have influenced and supported tourism development in the County.
“The growth of Bucks County’s brand in 2017 has exceeded expectations,” said Sandy Miller, Board Chairperson of Visit Bucks County. “By leveraging local influence, the Visit Bucks County team has delivered a marketing campaign that captures the intrinsic beauty that is the Bucks County brand. We are excited to share our brand with visitors from the New York and Northern New Jersey areas and beyond.”
According to ESI, visitor spending resulted in $969 million to the local Bucks County economy in 2016 and supported more than 12,000 hospitality jobs in Bucks County. In 2016, 7.8 million total visitors explored Bucks County’s countryside, enjoying area attractions, experiencing outdoor adventure and shopping, dining and indulging in the local flavor.
DIGITAL STORYTELLING
Incorporating television advertising into the 2017 brand campaign, Visit Bucks County enlisted the help of award-winning National Geographic videographer and local Solebury resident, Bob Krist, to produce their first television commercial now airing across cable and network television in New York and Northern New Jersey.
“We’ve produced the first of what we anticipate to be a series of commercials that show the various beauties of Bucks County that continue to inspire travelers to come here,” said Paul Bencivengo, Vice President of Visit Bucks County.
VBC also produced two additional video series, Bob Krist’s “Bucks County: Meet The Locals” a cinematic series illustrating the unique experiences of the residents (Juan Vidal, Bar Eisenhauer, Reid McCarthy, Daniel Anthonisen) who call the County their home and another social media series by videographer, Meredith Edlow geared toward millennials with short reels showing various personalities seeking an escape to Bucks County.
Both series aired across VisitBucksCounty.com, VBC social media channels and throughout digital advertising campaigns in New York, Northern New Jersey and Washington, D.C., resulting in 17,129,720 impressions and a 29% increase in social media followers.
WELL SEASONED
As foodie talk continues to dominate the tourism industry, VBC leveraged this growing trend by publishing Well Seasoned, its first-ever food and beverage publication. The production of the magazine was a marketing initiative aimed to connect local restaurants, restauranteurs, wineries and breweries with tourists, local hotels and attractions.
“It has always been our goal to connect our restaurants to the economic impact that tourism is having within the County,” said Paul Bencivengo, Vice President of Visit Bucks County. We have thriving local farm-to-table establishments, food festivals and beer and wine product. This publication will now serve as a referral source for hotels and attractions to direct visitors out to explore the local food scene.”
In Well Seasoned, tourists can find breweries, wineries, ice cream parlors, pizza places, vegetarian and gluten-free spots, coffee joints and more.
LOCAL PHOTO WALKS AND BLOG
Bucks County is comprised of more than 600,000 people, all with unique stories and experiences. Visit Bucks County sought to engage these locals in 2017 with main street photo walks and by launching a “From The Locals” blog.
Photo Walks were hosted in Doylestown and Bristol Borough with the third walk planned for New Hope on October 22. At these events, locals and tourists were encouraged to tour the town taking photos and posting them to Instagram to be entered to win prizes. These initiatives resulted in Instagram reach to more than 20,000 potential tourists and newly curated local photo content on VBC social feeds.
With more than 165 blogs posted to “From The Locals” including “Pairing History with Pints”, “A College Student’s Guide to New Hope Shopping” and “Books and Beans: A Guide To The Best Bookshops and Cafes in Bucks County Towns”, Visit Bucks County has attracted more than 20,000 page views to the blog.
2017 VISIT BUCKS COUNTY AWARD RECIPIENTS
Each year, Visit Bucks County recognizes individuals in hospitality who have significantly impacted Bucks County. The 2017 recipients were:
- Miles Arnott, Executive Director, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve
- Jeanne and Frank Cretella, President & CEO, Landmark Hospitality
- Kathy and Jerry Forest, Founders, Buckingham Valley Vineyard & Winery
- Nadine Silnutzer and Carl Glassman, Owners & Operators, 1870 Wedgwood Inn of New Hope
- Paul Licitra, New Hope Restaurateur
About Visit Bucks County
Visit Bucks County (VBC) is the official tourism promotion agency for Bucks County. The tourism office promotes all there is to see and do to potential visitors and residents. In addition to consumer travel, Visit Bucks County targets sports tournaments, motorcoach groups, meetings, special events and weddings. For more information on VBC activities call 1-800-836-BUCKS, visit VisitBucksCounty.com or stop by the Bucks County Visitor Center located at 3207 Street Road in Bensalem (adjacent to the entrance to PARX Casino). The Visitor Center is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. It is easily accessible from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Route 1 and Interstate 95.
