Happy Valley Visitation Reaches 5 Million
State College, PA - July 9, 2024 – The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (HVAB) and the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance (HVSEA) made two significant tourism announcements at the HVAB’s annual State of Tourism Breakfast on July 9 at the Wyndham Garden State College.
More than 140 people attended the annual event, which reinforced tourism’s role as an important economic driver in the county. During the program, the HVAB released the results of the 2023 Centre County Visitor Volume study conducted by Longwoods International; and reflected on last year’s tourism milestones. In addition, the HVAB and HVSEA both presented priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, with the HVSEA announcing Happy Valley’s hosting of a major sporting event.
“Last year, the Adventure Bureau set a goal of 5 million visitors and one billion dollars in visitor spending by the end of 2024,” said Jennifer Brooks-Stahl, General Manager of the Wyndham Garden State College and Chair of the HVAB Board of Directors. “I am pleased to report that we have already achieved that goal.”
According to the 2023 Longwoods International study, Centre County reached a record 5-million person-trips last year, which is a 3.1 percent increase over 2022. This total includes 3.2 million daytrips, and 1.8 million overnight trips.
Brooks-Stahl said that with average visitor spending at approximately $200, it is “safe to say” the county has also reached the $1 billion spending goal as well.
Brooks-Stahl said the county is well positioned to reach the next milestone of six million visitors by 2026.
Through June of this year, Happy Valley has already had 2.8 unique visitors who have frequented the area five times on average.
“We see this impact in many areas,” she said. “This includes the county’s lodging performance, which reflects this upward trend in visitation.”
According to Smith Travel Research data, all significant hotel metrics were ahead of 2022 levels.
As a result, Happy Valley climbed to 13th in Pennsylvania county lodging performance. For perspective, the county was 17th in 2020. Through May 2024, the county is now at No. 11, putting the top 10 well within reach.
The HVAB also sent 21,000 referrals to county lodging properties through BookDirect.
Lodging performance is an important metric because the lodging tax paid by visitors is the HVAB’s primary source of funding, and is what enables the organization to carry out a robust, strategic and comprehensive destination-marketing mission. The lodging tax also funds the annual Tourism Grant program conducted in partnership with Centre County Commissioners, which this year awarded a record $960,200 to 77 tourism projects.
The HVAB cited as 2023 highlights the launch of a modern, user-friendly destination website, happyvalley.com, which is tracking to reach 1 million sessions by year’s end; investments in new research platforms that are helping the organization and event organizers better understand where visitors are coming from, and their activity while in the destination; and solidifying HVSEA operations, including hiring Executive Director Eric Engelbarts, finalizing the Board and establishing eventual stand-alone 501(c)3 status.
HVAB President and CEO Fritz Smith outlined strategies that the organization will focus on in the upcoming fiscal year.
“The state of Happy Valley tourism is strong,” Smith said. “Taking it to the next level is going to require countywide and organization-wide commitment to the Happy Valley brand, foremost, and continued community and university collaboration.
“We are competing with counties that have significantly higher populations than we have, with greater resources and bigger infrastructures than we have,” he continued. “We need complementary development. We need to think about what is possible through brand buy-in, collaboration, and a shared vision.”
Smith said additional areas of focus include DEI initiatives to foster a welcoming destination; testing international markets such as India and China; assessing and aligning HVAB staff with organizational priorities; and implementing initiatives that encourage even greater member and community engagement and organizational collaboration.
“Tourism must be a positive, beneficial experience for our residents and our visitors,” he said. “We must be stewards of our communities and tourism assets as we welcome more people to experience what makes Happy Valley so special.”
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