Fayette County making the most of tourism trends to bring visitors to the area
Herald-Standard
Whitewater rafting at Ohiopyle State Park fits into several tourism trends, including crossing items off a bucket list and revisiting places with their families that tourists enjoyed as a youth. In this file photo, Joe Bever, standing, a rafting guide for Whitewater Adventures, one of Ohiopyle’s several outfitters, instructs tourists on how to safely navigate the Lower Yough.
Fallingwater, designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is a landmark in Mill Run that attracts visitors from throughout the world. Fallingwater fits into many current tourism trends, including crossing items off a bucket list and revisiting places with their families that tourists enjoyed as a youth.
Herald-Standard
David Cale, owner of Laurel Caverns, points out a small passage that leads to a discovered cave in this 2013 file photo. Laurel Caverns fits into several tourism trends, including including those focused on nature and revisiting places with your family that you enjoyed as a youth.
Jumonville, started as an Orphans’ School in the 1870s, flies four flags at its entrance to honor the French, who held the ground before the French and Indian War in 1754, the British, who won it from the French, the United States, which financed the Orphans’ School, and the Methodist Church, which has run the camp since the 1940s. The North Union Township landmark fits into several tourism trends, such as visiting places with your family that you saw as a youth while a walk to the Great Cross of Christ is an item to cross off your bucket list.
The Great Allegheny Passage, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2018, fits into current tourism trends that include an emphasis on wellness and nature. Here, Petra Schmalbrock and Joe Carter from Columbus, Ohio, try to stay ahead of the rain in this file photo as they cross the old railroad bridge that carries the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail through Wheeler Bottom in Dunbar Township.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
They are attractions that are known and loved but what’s different is the way people are thinking about them.
Local tourism officials are making the most of current tourism trends that can bring visitors to the Laurel Highlands while entities themselves are working on collaborations to create richer experiences for tourists.
“We will be stronger if we have collaboration,”said Muriel Nuttall, executive director of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce, part of the Fayette County Tourism Alliance. “Many people around the Laurel Highlands support each other and that’s where the strength of the industry comes from.”
Ann Nemanic, executive director of the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, explained a number of current tourism trends relevant to Fayette County.
They include:
Dream to Reality: “It’s about a bucket list,” said Nemanic. “These are things you would think about doing in the future and making them a reality.”That includes visiting Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Fallingwater, whitewater rafting at Ohiopyle State Park, riding the Great Allegheny Passage bike/hike trail and making the tip to the Great Cross of Christ at Jumonville.
Retro Reboot: “People want to have a vintage vacation. They want to take their children back to places they visited as a child,” explained Nemanic. “Oftentimes, we see folks who grew up and moved away and come back.” Places include the Summit Hotel, Laurel Caverns, Nemacolin Castle, Mount St. Macrina as well as local fairs and festivals.
Walk Your Way to Wellness: “There’s definitely an emphasis in tourism that’s focused on wellness,” noted Nemanic, including walking, cycling, yoga – getting in touch with nature – as well as spas. “You’ve got all that.” This can bring tourists to national parks, the Great Allegheny Passage, Nemacolin Woodlands and Seven Springs Resort.
Live Like a Local: “When people travel, they want to know what do the locals do? Where do the locals eat? Where do they fish? What’s a good spot to take photos? They want to talk to locals and get insight into what they want to do,” said Nemanic. That can include visiting a local winery or distillery, area restaurants and fishing holes.
Meanwhile, the student market remains an important part of tourism.
Nemanic said, “They are looking for voluntourism . They want to volunteer within a community. What can they do to leave their mark in a positive way? Pick up trash or build a fence at a historic site or do something for the needy?”
She said students are also interested seeing a product being made, such as maple syrup – viewing it raw and then finished for a full circle of experience.
Students also like adventure travel, Nemanic said, “They want an adventure as an experience, like a trip to Jumonville cross, seeing it from the road and then being able to walk to the top. Doing something out of your comfort zone.”
LHVB has been working to entice more visitors to the region by suggesting ideas.
Nemanic said, “When people come to the region or contact our office, we are able to work on customized itineraries. And every month, we send a customized itinerary – that’s two nights and three days with everything mapped out – to over 900 tour operators. We’re sending them a fresh idea every month and Fayette County is featured every month.”
Nemanic shared a suggested four-day itinerary that showcases the National Road, America’s first federally built highway that runs through Somerset, Fayette and Washington counties in Pennsylvania and is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2018.
Much of the itinerary features Fayette County, including stops at the Frank Melega Art Museum and Nemacolin Castle in Brownsville; Searights Toll House in Menallen Township, Mount St. Macrina in North Union Township, State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown, Laurel Caverns, Christian W. Klay Winery, Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Kentuck Knob in Farmington, Ohiopyle State Park and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort with time available for local restaurants and hotels.
Both Nemanic and Donna Holdorf, executive director of the National Road Heritage Corridor, who are also members of the tourism alliance recently addressed the alliance about the importance of collaboration.
Nemanic showed a couples package put together by a local bed and breakfast that included lunch at an area restaurant and gift certificates for a nearby spa. She suggested entities could work together for itineraries that include yoga or an outdoor movie night.
“Packaging is so important because that’s how you get people to your place,” said Holdorf, adding, “Make sure your staff knows how to refer people to other places.”
She said referrals could include the Historic Summit Inn’s treehouse, which was featured on the television series “Treehouse Masters” as well as the religious gift shop at Mount St. Macrina.
Tourism remains important to the region. Take, for example, bus groups.
Nemanic said LHVB was able to track 803 bus groups that visited the Laurel Highlands region in 2017. Of these, 40,366 visitors were adults, and 20,822 were students. There were 471 multi-day tours that had at least one overnight stay while LHVB was able to trace 203 day-trippers on either a one-day trip or stopping here on their way to another region.
Regarding hotels, visitors booked 17,127 hotel room nights throughout the Laurel Highlands region in 2016 that amounted to $2,123,748.
The Fayette County Information Center opened in 2017 on Route 40 near the intersection with Route 381 in the former Joe Doggs restaurant.
“It’s a unique opportunity and one of the biggest collaboration efforts. It’s between LHVB, Fayette County Commissioners, Nemacolin Woodlands and Fayette Chamber of Commerce,” said Nemanic.
The information center operated from May through October 2017, servicing visitors from 35 states and 10 countries. It’s slated to reopen this spring.
Also planned for 2018, LHVB is launching an extensive summer campaign for Ohiopyle, extending its ad campaign into Detroit and Indianapolis as well as its traditional markets of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Cleveland, Columbus and Pittsburgh.
And the Great Allegheny Passage hike/bike trail is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The trail runs from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, where it connects with the C&O Canal Towpath to form a route to Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, development continues on the Sheepskin Trail, which will eventually run from Dunbar south to Point Marion, and hopes to link with the Great Allegheny Passage and the West Virginia Mon River Rail-Trail System.
And the Trail Town and Mon River Town programs continue their work to make the area a better place to live and visit.