Visit Pittsburgh unveils 10-year tourism development plan

Pittsburgh recently outlined its tourism strategy for the next decade.

Visit Pittsburgh announced plans to advance tourism across Allegheny County with a new Tourism Development Plan and microsite.

Jerad Bachar, President of Visit Pittsburgh said: “This plan was thoughtfully developed to identify strategies that will propel the tourism industry forward, while focusing on our mission to drive visitation.”

The 10-year development plan includes more than 40 strategies and 80 unique action items for a roadmap for tourism development.

“It’s time to focus on how we can work together to grow and attract more visitors,” said Mayor Ed Gainey.

“This new plan will shine a new light on our rich cultural history as we continue our work on making Pittsburgh the most welcoming city in America.”

The DMO engaged Resonance Consultancy and partner HVS to conduct a multi-phase approach, including industry research, destination benchmarking and stakeholder engagement.

The first phase included a complete destination assessment of both quantitative related to industry trends, the hospitality market, sports and events program infrastructure and more.

In phase two, the project team surveyed nearly 3,000 residents and visitors to gather insights on both local and out-of-state perceptions of the destination.

Strategies in place are designed to improve and develop Pittsburgh’s experiences, connectivity and hospitality industry

The Tourism Development Plan is divided into three strategic areas:

Experiences – To expand and diversify assets and attractions for visitors—from accommodations to culinary, arts, culture, heritage, shopping and outdoor activities

Connectivity – To improve access across the destination by broadening transportation modes

Industry – To enhance tourism business performance and employee retention

“The Plan is all-encompassing and provides unique action items to tackle each of these important areas,” said Michele Meloy Burchfield, Chair of the Visit Pittsburgh Board of Directors.

“The team looked holistically at Pittsburgh as a destination and included thoughtful ways we can improve our experiences for visitors.”

Of Pittsburgh’s 90 distinct neighborhoods, only 10% are popular visitor destinations.

These are anchored by major sports stadiums, museums, cultural institutions and parks.

To improve on this the Plan aims to market unique efforts that celebrate emerging cultures across the area.

It will also develop neighborhood itineraries to encourage travelers to extend their length of stay.

Additionally, a museum pass program will be introduced to drive visitation to cultural attractions.

An important step is to boost seamless connectivity for visitors across the region.

Compared to other destination features, connectivity across Pittsburgh was rated as relatively poor among both residents and visitors.

The Plan will identify new strategies to improve public transit, trails and waterway travel.

The DMO plan also wants to address the trend of falling tourism sector employment.

It will seek to improve collaboration between the tourism industry and education providers to develop workplace-based training programs

“It’s no secret that this 10-year development plan will be a big lift, and that’s why we’re definitely not going at it alone,” said Bachar.

“If there is one thing Pittsburghers know, it’s that we’re stronger when we work together.”

Several initiatives announced in the Tourism Development Plan are already underway.

One includes the development of an all-new African American Tourism Advisory Council and dedicated support for the growth of culinary events and festivals.