Visitors Invested More Than $1.3B In Bucks Co. In 2025: Report

BUCKS COUNTY, PA – Nearly 200 tourism and hospitality professionals and local organizations gathered at Visit Bucks County’s (VBC) Annual Event on Wednesday at The Fuge.

Doug Miller, VBC’s Board Chair, welcomed attendees virtually, highlighting the organization’s continued commitment to strengthening Bucks County’s tourism industry through strategic marketing and sales efforts, industry support, advocacy, and collaboration with Bucks County’s hospitality businesses.

Miller also highlighted Visit Bucks County’s ongoing partnership with the county through the Bucks County Tourism Grant Program. Since 2008, the program has distributed more than $7.85 million to more than 150 organizations to help grow marketing reach, support local businesses, and enhance the visitor experience.

Christine Triantos, VBC’s Board Vice Chair, then shared key tourism industry data from the annual economic impact report. In 2025, more than 8.4 million visitors generated $1.3 billion in economic impact and supported a hospitality workforce of 29,397 jobs, she said.

“These numbers tell a powerful story about the role tourism plays in Bucks County,” said Triantos. “They represent much more than hotel rooms, restaurants, attractions, and shopping. They represent the businesses that benefit from visitor spending, the employees whose jobs are supported, and the tax revenues that help strengthen our local economy.”

Paul Bencivengo, President & CEO of Visit Bucks County, highlighted Bucks County’s strong 2026 lodging performance. From January through August 2026, lodging demand in Bucks County increased 3.7 percent year over year, while average daily rate (ADR) rose 5.7 percent and revenue per available room (RevPAR) grew 9.3 percent compared with the same period in 2025. (source: STR)

(Visit Bucks County)

(Visit Bucks County)

The summer months of June, July and August saw even stronger growth, with lodging demand increasing 4.5 percent year over year, average daily rate (ADR) rising 7.4 percent and revenue per available room (RevPAR) climbing 8.9 percent, said Bencivengo.

Bucks County also benefited from the FIFA World Cup, with hotels recording increased RevPAR on match days in Philadelphia and New York/New Jersey. Additionally, short-term rentals recorded more than 300 additional guest nights compared with the same period in 2025. (source: STR, Key Data)

Bencivengo said the strong performance was supported by a variety of travel segments and events throughout the year, including leisure travel, weddings, group tours, meetings, sports and year-long programming celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

According to Bencivengo, the Visit Bucks County team visited more than 200 businesses this year and hosted three industry events that brought together more than 115 hospitality professionals. The team also connected nearly 75 industry businesses through group tour and wedding market updates, with a meetings market update coming in November, and continued to convene local museum leaders to share best practices and strengthen Bucks County’s cultural community.

According to the report, sales and marketing efforts focused on four key markets: meetings, weddings, group tours and leisure travel. In the meetings market, VBC connected with 118 meeting planners through industry events and trade shows. VBC welcomed 50 event planners and service providers to Tyler Gardens as part of a NACE event.

Bencivengo said VBC continued to grow its presence in the wedding market, participating in seven wedding expos, connecting with more than 2,000 engaged couples and generating 950 leads for Bucks County wedding venues and lodging properties.

The group tour market also saw continued growth, with VBC connecting with more than 1,137 tour operators and group leaders through national and regional industry trade shows. These efforts have generated 54 tracked group tour bookings for 2026 to date.

From Gettysburg and the Brandywine Valley to Brooklyn and Washington, D.C., the Visit Bucks County van traveled far and wide to promote the destination and connect with travelers. VBC also continued its direct visitor outreach efforts, fulfilling more than 7,000 requests for destination guides and responding to more than 1,000 phone calls from visitors seeking information about Bucks County.

Bencivengo said Visit Bucks County continues to invest in the future of the tourism industry through workforce development and destination development initiatives. In May, VBC presented its first Bucks County Tourism & Hospitality Scholarship and expanded its internship and career awareness programs. Visit Bucks County Tourism & Hospitality Scholarship.

(Visit Bucks County)

VBC also expanded its destination and product development efforts this year, collaborating with hospitality and community partners to identify opportunities, enhance the visitor experience, and advance projects that strengthen the county’s tourism offerings.

Heather Walter, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications highlighted VBC’s ability to adapt to an evolving tourism landscape throughout 2026, embracing the unexpected while maintaining momentum around seasonal marketing initiatives.

With FIFA-related activity and America’s 250th anniversary creating new opportunities to attract visitors, Walter said the team developed timely, targeted content while sustaining Bucks County’s established seasonal campaigns. Grounded in audience research and visitation data, the team tailored content across social media, web, video and other digital channels, recognizing that each platform reaches consumers differently. Walter developed an AI-informed paid search campaign that trained Google’s AI to identify and target soccer super fans based on their digital habits. The campaign drove more than 4 million impressions, she said.

A new commercial centered on the seasons of life and the enduring appeal of visiting friends and relatives further reinforced Bucks County’s brand and the many reasons visitors return throughout the year, said Walter.

As digital discovery continues to evolve with artificial intelligence, Visit Bucks County is also advancing its marketing strategy through generative engine optimization (GEO), email automation and audience-focused paid search campaigns. While many destinations are experiencing declines in web traffic due to AI-generated search results, VBC has seen 10% growth in active users and 19% growth in new users. By leveraging visitation data, developing targeted advertising personas and refining digital strategies, the team is positioning Bucks County to remain visible and relevant as consumer behaviors and search technologies change.

Throughout the year, this integrated approach, combined with nimble social media execution and influencer partnerships, helped generate national and international headlines for Bucks County. Highlights include Travel + Leisure naming Bucks County “One of the Most Underrated Places on the East Coast,” Condé Nast Traveler spotlighting New Hope and Bucks County’s enduring appeal among creatives, USA Today 10Best naming Peddler’s Village the #1 Shopping Center in the U.S., AFAR naming New Hope the Most Charming Small Town in Pennsylvania, Vogue including Bucks County among “the best Christmas Towns in the USA,” Brazilian publication O Globo highlighting the region’s attractions for travelers exploring between New York City and Philadelphia, and Priceline naming Bucks County a top U.S. leaf-peeping destination for the third consecutive year.

Bucks County will continue to focus on driving overnight visitation and supporting local businesses while expanding its role in strengthening Bucks County as a destination. Through continued community engagement, a strategic approach to emerging technologies and investment in destination development, VBC will work alongside its tourism and hospitality partners to create more reasons for visitors to come, stay longer and return to Bucks County.