Mar 28, 2024 3 min read

By Jeff Kotula

A study by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) again demonstrated that Washington County’s tourism industry continues to be a major driver in our local economy and a leader in our region.

In their recently released annual report, the DCED firmly placed Washington County as second in the greater Pittsburgh region in significant tourism impact categories such as total tourism demand, lodging, food and beverage and retail. This study highlights not only the importance of tourism in the continued diversification of our economy, but also the success we have achieved in marketing our county as a premier tourism destination.

According to the report, travel and tourism direct impacts for visitor spending in Washington County in 2022, which is the most recent available data, was approximately $665.9 million, an increase from $594.1 million the year before. The report also stated that Washington County’s travel economy directly employed 5,359 people, which about equals our pre-pandemic employment numbers in this sector and generated $200.4 million in labor income, also an increase from $179 million in 2021.

These travel industry impacts also generated nearly $79 million in federal, state, and local tax revenue. These impressive statistics allow Washington County to rank as the second-highest, after Allegheny County, in traveler spending, tourism employment and overall travel impacts among counties in the eight-county Pittsburgh region. This is positive momentum as we look forward to the 2024 tourism season in our area.

For the greater Pittsburgh region as a whole, tourism employment directly supported by visitor spending increased by more than 6,000 jobs in 2022, but remained 11 percentage points below the region’s pre-pandemic level. And while visitor spending increased 25% over the previous year, it is still just shy of pre-pandemic spending. Washington County is performing well, but we as a region need to invest more in this vital industry that supports one out of every 11 jobs in our area.

Washington County continues to invest in tourism, and those funds are paying significant dividends across our area. Liberty Pole Spirits’ new campus distillery, the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum’s new Welcome and Education Center and Washington County Historical Society’s Research and Education Center complement the long-term investments being made by The Hollywood Casino at the Meadows, Monongahela Aquatorium, and Washington Wild Things to keep these assets strong, vibrant, and relevant. These projects, along with the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency’s recent grants to organizations for new marketing and capital initiatives, represent extensive investments that will translate into new visitors and opportunities in our county.

It is important that our actions and investments are positively quantified by the DCED’s study and that our tourism marketing efforts are contributing to our county’s overall economic success. As our tourism slogan states, “The American Spirit Lives Here” and so do the economic and job creation impacts of this important industry for Washington County. –

Jeff Kotula is the president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Promotion Agency.