ANF Visitors Bureau to Hold Open House

By SANDRA RHODES
ANF Visitors Bureau


Travel and tourism in the Allegheny National Forest region is growing every day and local tourism officials are excited to spread the news.

The Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau, the official tourism promotion agency in McKean County, will hold an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. May 13 at the Visitors Center, located at the Old Post Office, 80 E. Corydon St. in Bradford.

“This will give everyone in the community a chance to learn about what the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau does,” said Executive Director Linda Devlin.

The goals of the ANF Visitors Bureau include increasing the number of people visiting the area, increasing the average length of stay, and working to increase the amount of revenue per visitor spent in the area.

This is accomplished in a multitude of ways such as printing an annual visitors guide and map, brochure distribution, attending trade shows, working with media and press, and by marketing the region’s unique attributes to potential visitors.

The ANF Visitors Bureau is also holding a membership drive in conjunction with National Travel & Tourism Week. Membership applications will be available during the open house. ANF Visitors Bureau staff and representatives from the Board of Directors will also be available to answer any questions.

Refreshments will be served.

Pennsylvania Crude: The Road Trip, the interactive DVD which recently won Best of Show at the ADDY Awards in Erie, will also be available for purchase at the open house.

A road trip is just one of the trails to take advantage of in this area.

The ANF Visitors Bureau recently launched the new brand for McKean County – Trail Central – that will be marketed world-wide. The theme Trail Central can take on many forms. Of course there’s the walking and hiking recreation trails, but there are also artisan, shopping, food and wine trails.

There are more than 600 miles of trails for hiking, biking and backpacking and more than 100 miles for ATV plus more than 300 for snowmobiling.

The Allegheny National Forest and the Allegany State Park together host more than 5.2 million visitors per year, and the bureau works with local business to bring these visitors into the communities to shop, dine, visit local attractions and to stay overnight.

Tourism is good for everyone, not just the tourist.

Tourism development brings in new jobs, lowers tax burdens for residents and provides new recreational amenities that can be enjoyed both by residents and visitors. Annual visitor expenditure in the four counties of the ANF is $175.76 million.

On May 12, a representative from the bureau will travel to New York City to participate in a media marketplace for Pennsylvania promoting the region to 30 press representatives, including writers from ABC News, Food Network Magazine, and AAA Car & Travel.

Listen to Wednesday's LiveLine about the ANFVB here.

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