Visit Bucks County shares recent tourism initiatives at awards ceremony
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
There was certainly nothing unlucky about Friday, Oct. 13, for a special group of guests at the Sheraton Bucks County Hotel in Langhorne. This was the annual meeting and luncheon hosted by Visit Bucks County, the area’s official tourism promotion agency. Recently, the staff at VBC has been working to make Bucks County the next great tourist spot. And with all the area has to offer, who can blame them? The theme of the afternoon was “driving visitation” as VBC presented its latest initiatives to attendees and distributed awards to influential local businesses.
In 2016, according to ESI, visitor spending resulted in $969 million to the Bucks County economy and supported more than 12,000 hospitality jobs in the area. In addition, 7.8 million visitors explored Bucks County’s countryside, enjoying popular attractions and indulging at local restaurants, wineries and bars. These statistics were made possible by several creative projects put forth by Visit Bucks County.
The first was the utilization of digital storytelling. Incorporating television advertising into this year’s brand campaign, VBC enlisted the help of Bob Krist, award-winning National Geographic videographer and Solebury resident. Krist produced its first commercial, which is now airing across cable and network television in New York and Northern New Jersey.
“We’ve produced the first of what we anticipate to be a series of commercials that show the various beauties of Bucks County that continue to inspire travelers to come here,” said Paul Bencivengo, vice president of Visit Bucks County.
Two additional series were also produced. One is another Krist creation entitled “Bucks County: Meet the Locals,” a cinematic series that delves into the experiences of local residents Juan Vidal, Bar Eisenhauer, Reid McCarthy and Daniel Anthonisen. The other is a social media series by videographer, Meredith Edlow. Geared toward millennials, the series includes short reels showing various personalities seeking an escape to Bucks County.
Both series aired on visitbuckscounty.com, across VBC’s social media platforms and throughout digital advertising campaigns in New York, Northern New Jersey and Washington, D.C., resulting in 17,129,720 impressions and a 29 percent increase in social media followers.
In its quest to promote Bucks County, VBC also took advantage of the print format. With the growing trend of “foodie talk” dominating the tourism industry, the agency created its first food and beverage publication, Well Seasoned. The mission of this marketing initiative was to connect local restaurants, wineries and breweries with tourists, hotels and attractions.
“It has always been our goal to connect our restaurants to the economic impact that tourism is having within the county,” Bencivengo said. “We have thriving local farm-to-table establishments, food festivals and beer and wine products. This publication will now serve as a referral source for hotels and attractions to direct visitors out to explore the local food scene.”
Well Seasoned is broken up by area, so whether someone is in New Hope or Bristol, they can always find the closest pizza place, ice cream parlor, coffee joint or gluten-free spot.
The final initiatives presented at the luncheon were VBC’s Photo Walks and “From the Locals” blog. The mindset behind the creation of both projects was that the residents of Bucks County, which total more than 600,000, all have unique experiences and stories to tell.
In Doylestown, Bristol Borough and New Hope, locals and tourists were encouraged to tour the respective towns, taking photos and posting them to Instagram as part of VBC’s Photo Walks campaign. Everyone who shared a post on social media was entered to win a prize. Though this was the first event of its kind, the initiative expanded the agency’s Instagram reach to more than 20,000 potential tourists.
As for the “From the Locals” blog, more than 165 stories were submitted, including “Pairing History with Pints,” “A College Student’s Guide to New Hope Shopping” and “Books and Beans: A Guide to the Best Bookshops and Cafes in Bucks County Towns.” The page received more than 20,000 views.
To cap off the luncheon, VBC recognized several individuals in the hospitality industry who have significantly impacted Bucks County. This year’s recipients included: Miles Arnott, executive director of Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve; Jeanne and Frank Cretella, president and CEO of Landmark Hospitality; Kathy and Jerry Forest, founders of Buckingham Valley Vineyard & Winery; Nadine Silnutzer and Carl Glassman, owners and operators of 1870 Wedgwood Inn of New Hope; and Paul Licitra, New Hope restaurateur.
To keep up with Visit Bucks County, go to visitbuckscounty.com. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
