Getting the word out: Explore Altoona drives rebound in regional tourism

Through a network of partner collaboration and advertising choices, regional tourism has rebounded to nearly pre-pandemic levels, according to Mark Ickes, executive director of Explore Altoona, the county’s destination marketing organization.

“The past two years … were the most compelling years in marketing for leisure travel in Blair County’s history,” Ickes said.

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Economic and Community Development report, direct visitor spending generated $371 million in 2022, which is the most recent data available.

That accounts for all money spent on hospitality, dining, retail, transportation and recreation/entertainment by travelers from outside Blair County, less than 1% off the all-time high numbers reported in 2019, Ickes said.

Explore Altoona literature is available at the Altoona Transportation Center Parking Garage Information Center.
Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Ickes said this is the result of focused effort on three fronts — partnership development, improved social media presence and increased local awareness.

A key component of this effort is educating local residents to the importance of that $371 million influx, Ickes said, which would cost the average household more than $7,000 a year to reach that level of economic activity.

“It’s our job, on behalf of the county’s board of commissioners, to market the experiences that are here as effectively as we can with a current marketing mindset,” Ickes said.

To that end, in 2022 Explore Altoona launched its first TV advertising campaigns in three major markets — Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and northern Maryland/eastern West Virginia, Ickes said.

These markets were identified as having high potential to attract new travelers to the region, as they are all within a reasonable drive to Blair County.

Explore Altoona developed a multi-front social media initiative that positioned Blair County as a top destination for specific niches of travelers, including railroad enthusiasts, encouraging visits to the Railroaders Memorial Museum at 1200 Ninth Ave.
Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Pittsburgh is the “fastest growing” market, Ickes said, largely because its population demographics and travel interests reflect the results of a H2R Market Research study on tourism trends in Blair County, Ickes said.

The study identified family fun, outdoor recreation and history, particularly railroad history, as the driving forces for summer travel to the region, Ickes said, so Explore Altoona has worked to further highlight and develop these themes.

One campaign that received high engagement was a partnership with Sheetz to offer free gas cards to incentivize Blair County as a road trip destination, Ickes said.

Another was a multi-front social media initiative that positioned Blair County as a top destination for specific niches of travelers. Carefully crafted short-form videos attract rail fans, family travelers and outdoor adventurers.

Explore Altoona’s efforts to bolster the travel market in Blair County dovetail with the DCED’s new statewide tourism brand, “The Great American Getaway,” which was debuted by Gov. Josh Shapiro at an event in May, Ickes said.

The new DCED campaign highlights the width and breadth of experiences available to travelers in Pennsylvania, which parallels the themes Explore Altoona has highlighted in advertising for Blair County.

“It aligns really well with Blair County’s brand determination and branding project back in 2012 as a destination that is known for classic and authentic fun, full of value and variety,” Ickes said.

The county tagline of “Small Destination, Big Adventures” ties in nicely with the broader campaign, he added.

The collaboration hit a new level with a full-page ad placement for Blair County in VisitPA’s annual state travel guide, which was released in February.

Explore Altoona has partnered with the state agency for more than 15 years, he added.

“This is the first year we were able to accord the investment in a full page (in the state travel guide) and it reinforces the same full page we did this year in (Canada Travel and Lifestyle),” Ickes said.

Explore Altoona’s efforts in the great white north culminated in a digital billboard on the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto, he said.

“Governor Shapiro believes in travel and tourism,” Ickes said. “The budget this year incorporates a $15 million infusion into state travel and tourism marketing, which is a big increase from the past.”

While much of Explore Altoona’s efforts are focused on developing the region as a hub for in-state tourism, Ickes said that his bureau hopes Blair County can become a well-known travel destination throughout the East Coast.

Branching out

In July, Explore Altoona hosted Jim Cohn, the publisher, owner and self-styled “gentleman” of Mid-Atlantic Events Magazine, a trade publication for event planning professionals based in Bucks County, for a weekend tour ahead of an upcoming editorial feature on Blair County.

The trip, which was organized in collaboration with the Blair County Convention Center, showed off area attractions including DelGrosso’s Park, the Railroaders Memorial Museum and downtown Hollidaysburg.

Cohn said he was impressed by the genuine connections between the different business leaders in the community.

Explore Altoona staff displayed a bond with these leaders beyond just colleagues, Cohn said, adding it felt more like a true friendship.

This warm familiarity was akin to the 1982 NBC sitcom “Cheers,” where the titular Boston bar is known as the place where “everybody knows your name,” Cohn said.

This type of hospitality is uncommon in the 21st century, he added.

“It’s old town America, it was comforting — you don’t see that a lot,” Cohn said.

One of the standouts from his visit was the Railroaders Memorial Museum, Cohn said.

“This place is a gem, the museum is so well done,” he said, noting the interactive and well-designed exhibits.

And while Explore Altoona and the BCCC have been long-term clients of Mid-Atlantic, Cohn said that his trip to Blair County reinvigorated his fondness for the area, and his belief in its future as a premier destination for events and conferences.

“There’s just so much potential there,” Cohn said.

On the frontlines

Strategically positioned across from the Convention Center, and only a few minutes away from Interstate 99, the staff of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites have their finger on the pulse of the tourism industry in Blair County.

This pulse often correlates with the work of Explore Altoona.

Since Explore Altoona has expanded the visibility of Blair County in the region, local hospitality has adapted to a diverse variety of traveler types.

Weekend family travel, weekday business travel and, increasingly, international travelers are all frequent guests at the Holiday Inn, according to general manager Heather Macharola.

“We do have a shocking amount of Canadians come through our area,” Macharola said. “We’ve noticed it in the past couple of years, but maybe this year more than usual.”

In addition to international travelers, who often come to visit family members studying at Penn State Altoona or University Park, family and business travel are the other largest market demographics.

According to Macharola, Altoona also hosts a sizable number of travelers from Washington, D.C., and New York City, who stop over on their way to western destinations.

“It’s a good stopping point, we’re right in the middle … they tend to stay a night or two to do recreational (activities),” Macharola said.

Delgrosso’s and the Curve ballpark are two of the most popular day trips for visitors, she added.

“Railroad and historical items are a big draw around here,” Macharola said.

Another noteworthy travel trend is individuals who grew up in the area, but left later in life returning to Blair County for family events, according to Kim Masood, director of sales at the Holiday Inn.

“We had a few big funerals that were like celebrations of life events this summer, that they actually treat like a family reunion, and they usually end up doing a lot of things in the area as well,” Masood said.

Hotel staff can be unassuming tastemakers, too, giving visitors leads on the most popular destinations and attractions in the area.

“We’re always giving people recommendations on things to do, and of course the Explore Altoona booklets we get are invaluable. We go through hundreds of them each year,” Masood said.

According to Macharola, Holiday Inn guests appreciate having the brochure available as a physical resource, since they don’t have to worry about sorting through potentially inaccurate information online.

“Honestly, we can’t keep them stocked,” she said.

Beyond the ad campaigns and marketing materials, Explore Altoona devotes considerable attention to building relationships between its partner businesses, even more so since Patrick Schurr came on board as the first-ever director of partnership development in 2023.

This includes hosting skill-training seminars on topics like social media marketing and photography, plus working with members to make the Blair County business community a harmonious, unified whole.

For the Holiday Inn, this took the form of a partnership with the Altoona Curve to sell tickets directly to guests, giving them an easy way to check out one of the many themed home games this summer.

“Explore Altoona has really been a big part in developing … the hospitality and tourism roundtable, which has been a really great partnership, not in a competitive way but more in a partnership, collaborative way.” Macharola said.

The roundtable, hosted by the Blair County Chamber of Commerce, is a collaborative group of attraction owners and hospitality directors in the area, who meet quarterly to discuss areas of mutual interest and build inter-

organizational bonds.

These connections, for example, allow the Convention Center to host bigger events, as the center staff can work with nearby hotels directly to map out accommodation plans, Macharola said.

“We all contribute to helping out whatever needs they need, it really works hand in hand,” she said.

The roundtable, which includes hotels, restaurants and local attractions, is emblematic of Explore Altoona’s long-standing vision for a unified and prosperous business community in Blair County that works together to tell a unified story.

“Us all working together, communicating what events are going on and what’s available, it’s really had a phenomenal impact on everybody in this town,” Macharola said, “everyone sees a benefit of that.”

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.