​Bucks County Hospitality Destinations Recognized With Tourism Awards

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — In celebration of National Travel & Tourism Week, Visit Bucks County (VBC) recognized individuals and organizations during an awards celebration at The Inn at Fox Briar Farm earlier this month.

Honorees were nominated by their peers in the local hospitality industry. Each year, the U.S. Travel Association spearheads National Travel & Tourism Week to raise awareness of the benefits of travel to well-being and the economy.

During the awards portion of the event, Bucks County Commissioners Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia and Robert J. Harvie were on hand to recognize individuals for excellence in guest services, hospitality, innovation, and promoting local tourism and to proclaim National Travel & Tourism Week in the county.

“We are pleased to present Visit Bucks County with a proclamation recognizing May 19-25 as National Travel & Tourism Week throughout the County of Bucks,” said Marseglia, “We thank the Visit Bucks County staff and Board of Directors and all of you for the hard work to market and support the industry.”

This year's award winners with Bucks County Commissioners Bob Harvie and Diane Ellis-Marseglia, left, and Visit Bucks County President/COO Paul Bencivengo.

Each May Visit Bucks County recognizes the achievements of the tourism and hospitality workforce in Bucks County by presenting employees and organizations awards in five categories.

The 2024 Visit Bucks County Travel & Tourism Week Award honorees are:

• Guest Service Excellence Award: Dennis Brislin, Sesame Place Philadelphia. This award goes to a frontline staff member with a positive attitude who is willing to go the extra mile to help visitors and interact with customers on a daily basis.
• Hospitality Leadership Award: Alicia Singh, Holiday Inn Express Bensalem. This award honors an individual who has made significant contributions to the tourism and hospitality industry, ultimately increasing visitation to Bucks County.
• Rising Star Award: Ahmani Taylor, Hiltons of Warrington. This award is presented to a young professional aspiring to a long career in the tourism and hospitality industry.
• Tourism Innovation Award: Christopher Marano, Bucks County Joyrides. This award honors a business/organization who implements new and creative ways to bring visitors to Bucks County.
• Visit Bucks County Award: Justin Seery, Peddler’s Village; Jennifer Martin, Washington Crossing Historic Park and Ryan Seiz and Tim Tabor, Warwick Farm Brewing.

Key Tourism Growth

During the event, Visit Bucks County President/COO Paul Bencivengo also shared some key tourism statistics that highlighted industry growth over the past year.

“In 2023, Bucks County welcomed 8.2 million visitors. This was a 2.5 percent increase over visitation in 2022. Those 8.2 million visitors generated $1.2 billion in economic impact which represents a 2.2 percent increase over 2022. In 2023, the total hospitality workforce also grew to 28,675 jobs,” reported Bencivengo.

Growth in visitation also continued into quarter one of 2024, he continued.

"Bucks County has achieved an average increase of +3.5 percent in lodging occupancy as compared to the same period in 2023," he said. "This significant upward trend in lodging occupancy in 2024 is happening as lodging room rates have softened, making it more affordable to stay overnight in Bucks County."

Bencivengo also shared that VisitBucksCounty.com saw record traffic last year with more than five million pageviews to the site and more than 406 million impressions across digital and social media channels. “We attribute this record engagement to our focus on quality content creation. Our short-term video content performs extremely well across all demographics," he said.

“Visit Bucks County also has brand campaigns currently in-market with static and digital billboards in New York and Northern New Jersey markets,” reported Bencivengo. “Broadcast and streaming commercials will also enter the market this month and will run through July attracting visitors to the area.”

Visit Bucks County promotes Bucks County for visitors to explore the trails, plan outdoor adventure, family-friendly getaways, romantic escapes and to visit the many towns and attractions throughout all the seasons.