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THE COUNTY ECONOMY
PLANNING ISSUE
Tourism has a big impact on
the local economy, creating
jobs and a financial boon at
local hotels, restaurants, retail
establishments, and other
entertainment facilities...but
the next challenge is to draw
visitors to some of the
county’s “hidden gems.”
What’s New
•
Regional trends look positive for tourism. Visitor
numbers have increased over the last decade, with 38
million people visiting the Greater Philadelphia region
in 2011. The majority of the region’s visitors come
from the Northeast region of the country, but the
Philadelphia area gets visitors from across the country
and around the world. Overnight visits are on the rise
as well. All of these guests to the area filled more than
8.3 million hotel rooms in 2011.
•
Websites, social media, and mobile apps are all
changing the way that people travel and plan their
trips. From booking a room at a hotel, choosing a
route, buying tickets to a show or reserving a table at a
restaurant, travelers have any number of options when
it comes to planning a trip online. This can also be
evidenced by the increase in mobile device visitors to
the visitphilly.com website (19% of traffic in the first
quarter of 2012, as compared to 8% in the first quarter
of 2011 and 3% in 2010).
Jobs of County Residents
Jobs in the County
County Businesses
Downtown and Main Street Areas
Office, Industrial, and
Brownfield Areas
Retail Commercial Areas
Tourism
Agriculture and Farm
Preservation
Employment Forecasts and
Economic Trends
Tourism
The travel industry is a major part of the state and county
economy. According to the Greater Philadelphia Tourism
Marketing Corp, tourism brought a $9.34 billion economic
impact to the Greater Philadelphia region in 2011 as well as
more than 86,000 jobs.
So what does Montgomery County have to offer? It’s home
to some of the biggest tourist attractions in the region,
drawing visitors from beyond its borders on a daily basis.
The county has some of the region’s biggest shopping
centers—including the King of Prussia Mall and Limerick’s
Philadelphia Premium Outlets. The King of Prussia Mall
receives more than 20 million visitors each year.
King of Prussia is also home to one of the area’s newest
attractions, the Valley Forge Casino Resort. Opened in
March 2012, this is the first “resort” casino in the region,
which means that gamblers are limited to members, those
attending an event at the Valley Forge Convention Center,
or people who’ve spent some money in one of the center’s
other businesses or restaurants. And despite being the
smallest casino in the state, gross revenues topped $18
million for FY 2011-2012.
Just down the road, the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at
Oaks holds a variety of trade shows, festivals, and sporting
expositions year round, with estimates of more than 300,000
visitors annually.
Other visitors may come for the county’s historical, cultural
amenities, or outdoor amenities. Valley Forge National
Historical Park, with its breathtaking history and scenic
vistas, receives upwards of 1.6 million visitors annually.
The county is home to a variety of smaller parks and scenic
multi-use trails that bring visitors to walk, bike, or ride
horses. And first class museums like the Berman Museum
of Art at Ursinus College bring upwards of 30,000 visitors
to Collegeville each year.
Valley Forge National Historical Park gets more than a million visitors
every year who come to learn more about the Revolutionary War.
