A new study released by the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitor’s Bureau found that 8 million visitors spent 1.9 billion dollars in Lancaster County in 2013.
“When you look at the dollars it drives into the community, the people that are employed by tourism related businesses, which is nearly 25,000 people, that’s significant,” said Kathleen Frankford, the President of the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “It is definitely one of the largest industries in Lancaster County.”
Officials with the Visitor’s Bureau says it’s an industry that offers a little something for everyone.
“Dutch wonderland is a huge driver, Sight and Sound American Music Theater; we have wonderful outlets, Tanger and Rockvale. We have beautiful world class resorts,” Frankford said.
For tourists like Ed and Ellen Hubble from Milford, Connecticut it’s the shopping that keeps them coming back to Lancaster.
“We like to go to the different farmers markets,” Ellen Hubble said. “I love to go into the quilt shops and look for material for quilting,” she said.
“We’re going to go downtown and just explore all of downtown; it looks like a cool place,” said Ann Gabriele, who is visiting Lancaster for the first time from Wilmington, North Carolina.
The Power of Lancaster County Tourism Report also found that one out of every 15 jobs in Lancaster County is tourism related.
“The tourism industry in Lancaster County employs nearly 24,000 people so when you think about how many people that includes, you can fill up Clippers Stadium over three times with that amount,” Frankford said.