2/13/2018
Lodging revenue in Adams County, Pa., surpassed $52 million in 2017, setting a record in sales for overnight stays in hotels/motels, bed and breakfasts, guest houses and campground cottages.
The total rentals in 2017, according to the Adams County Office of Treasurer, tallied $52,004,343 –
breaking the previous high set in 2013, the year that Gettysburg commemorated the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and Gettysburg Address. The lodging revenue for Adams County in 2013 was slightly more than $50 million.
“Tourism is strong in Adams County,” said Norris Flowers, President of Destination Gettysburg, the county’s official destination management organization. “Overnight stays are an important barometer for the strength of tourism – and the revenue collected for lodging positively impacts spending by visitors in other areas such as shopping, dining and entertainment.”
In Adams County, a 5-percent tax is collected on all overnight stays – with the exception of tent and RV site rentals at campgrounds, which otherwise pay an admissions tax. Last year, the revenue generated through the lodging tax totaled more than $2.63 million.
Of that lodging tax revenue, the Adams County government collected $99,312 in administrative fees and an additional $316,380 through its portion of the tax formula. Municipalities across Adams County with full-time police departments and lodging properties split $316,380. Those municipalities include the Boroughs of Gettysburg, New Oxford, Fairfield and Carroll Valley, as well as Cumberland Township.
Destination Gettysburg received $1.9 million from the lodging tax collected in 2017. The organization will use that money to market the destination to potential visitors through paid advertising, video content, social media, public relations, group travel sales and more. In return, these efforts will keep tourism money coming back into local governments and the hands of business owners and their employees.
Annually, tourism generates approximately $700 million in visitor spending and $135 million in federal, state and local taxes.
“Destination Gettysburg has worked hard to extend visitors’ stays by convincing travelers that they need more than a day, often more than two days, to fully experience Adams County,” said Norris Flowers, President of Destination Gettysburg. “These numbers are proof that our marketing is working.”
In addition, in 2017, Destination Gettysburg contributed more than $50,000 to community organizations and projects including Main Street Gettysburg, Adams County Arts Council, East Berlin VFW, Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, and the Fourth of July fireworks celebration at Gettysburg College.
More about the tourism industry in Adams County, can be found at www.GettysburgTourismWorks.com, which includes research, profiles on employees within the tourism community, profiles of businesses that depend on tourism, as well as Destination Gettysburg’s marketing efforts to attract visitors.
Destination Gettysburg, the official destination marketing organization, markets Gettysburg – Adams County as a premier travel destination, producing a positive economic impact.
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