Pandemic Caused Tourism Drop In 2020, But Visit Bucks County Hopeful For 2021 - LevittownNow.com

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant drop in tourism to Bucks County, disrupted many planned activities, closed multiple destinations for weeks at a time, and allowed many destinations to reopen under strict mitigation measures.

Bucks County reports that hotel occupancy rates will drop by 26% by 2020, but tourism officials are optimistic for 2021, as many destinations have adjusted their safety measures for COVID-19 and vaccination efforts are being carried out nationwide .

"Despite our decline in visits, the situation in Bucks County is much better than other destinations due to our geographic location and tourism products," the county-wide travel agency visited Bucks County President and COO Paul Bencivengo At a virtual event on Tuesday morning.

Frank Lyons, chairman of Visit Bucks County's board of directors, said the organization has been able to support Bucks County's tourism and hospitality industry through actions. He said that cooperation is "dynamic" among organizations, destinations and governments.

Lyon said, for example, restaurants quickly converted to a new form of take-out, and there are still several new restaurants open in the county. He also pointed to the expansion of breweries and wineries, the opening of Opeette's River House in Odette, the expansion of virtual experiences of regional museums and theaters, and the town of Middletown ( Efforts to reopen the COVID-19 safe at Sesame Place in Middletown Township.

Lyon said that many destinations that are taking COVID-19 mitigation measures are launching special offers for tourists who plan to arrive in 2021. He said that the distribution of vaccines will be vital to the tourism industry.

In 2019, the last year before the pandemic, the tourism industry in Bucks County reported a record 8.29 million visitors, an economic impact of $1.1 billion, and 29,000 jobs.

Visit Bucks County continues to update tourism information on its website and advertises in 2020, but due to the pandemic, more attention is paid to visits within the county.

The travel agency’s website received 1.5 million website visitors, an increase of approximately 14% over 2019. The organization also believes that recommenders for destination information increased by 30% last year, Bencivengo said.

Myha Gallagher, senior research director at Destination Analysts, a company that works with Visit Bucks County, said data this month showed that Americans found the safest activities for eating out, staying in hotels, shopping, outdoor recreation, and traveling on road trips. Cruising is considered the least safe.

More and more Americans say they will enjoy the COVID-19 restrictions. About a quarter of people have talked about future travel and conducted research online.

Gallagher said that 54.9% of those surveyed last week said they were happy to travel sometime in 2021.

Benchiwengo said that the Bucks County Tourism Bureau team is already planning marketing and planning to promote tourism development as the pandemic eases.

He said: "When we hear data from research partners, we remain optimistic."

Almost everyone involved in the tourism and hotel industry knows that expanding vaccines will only help the industry.

Although the initial rollout was slow, faster and wider distribution will only help increase travel times and ease government mitigation measures. The administration of President Joe Biden has vowed to administer 100 million doses within the first 100 days.

Gallagher said that opinion polls show that as vaccine distribution continues, Americans are becoming more optimistic about travel. Approximately 51% of those surveyed plan to wait to travel until they get the vaccine.

Opinion polls last week showed that about 70% of Americans believe the vaccine is safe.

According to Gallagher, during a pandemic, opinion polls show less crowdedness and more popular in rural destinations. This is a shift from pre-pandemic opinion polls.

Benchiwengo said "Visit Bucks County" will continue to work with the county's workforce development program to help destinations and meet their needs.

Last summer, the Bucks County Commissioner provided the Byers Bucks with $3.7 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to support the industry.

The Bucks County Tourism Bureau worked with the county and other partners to develop a plan to assist small businesses, tourism, and hospitality destinations during 2020.

Bucks County officials say they have awarded more than $25 million in CARES bill funding to small businesses affected by the pandemic.

The Bucks County Tourism Bureau plans to resume the Bucks County Tourism Subsidy Program in 2021.

Here are some highlights of Visit Bucks County's show in 2021:

 The expansion of Logan Inn has brought more than 40 stylish rooms to New Hope. Event spaces and multiple breakout rooms are also being designed. The well-designed main floor will provide award-winning restaurants, bars, private dining spaces, exquisite artwork display and live entertainment, and will become a social center of new hope and an ideal wedding destination.

 Bucks County's newest luxury hotel, event venue and restaurant, Odette's River House, will offer a "wine discount package" in 2021. This package includes 2 nights accommodation, a wine-centered welcome, a 4-course fixed wine dinner and a private wine tasting by the River House sommelier. On every Thursday in 2021, the hotel will receive violinist Gina Corso and pianist Bob Egan from 6 to 9 pm, using eclectic music to serve the small restaurant The serenade played by Odette Myrtil will make Odette Myrtil proud.

. Luxurious accommodation suites, magnificent river views and warm hospitality make this beautiful historic hotel the most acclaimed destination for 40 years. Plan your 2021 holiday to Bridgetown House and mention "40 years" when booking, and you can enjoy a $40 discount for two nights. Another offer in 2021 is that the hotel provides free breakfast in bed until May. Enjoy a homemade breakfast in a delightful suite! Eventually, the hotel will also launch a "work package" for savvy business travelers or locals who need to change scenery.

 By the end of 2020, this popular hotel chain will complete the renovation of its 141 rooms in the North-East Bensalem (Northern-Bensalem) location. In 2021, plans to improve the lobby, public space and external environment.

Based on Perkasie

Pearl S. Buck House is expected to open a new conference and event center in April. It will provide an ideal rural venue in a beautiful, peaceful environment of 60 acres, suitable for holding business meetings and retreats, community and civic events, weddings, and family gatherings for locals and tourists. Pearl S. Buck House will also start a new virtual exhibition online in January, titled "I Speak as a Known: The Story of a Child Who Never Grows Up", which involves Buck raising a supernatural child and Advocate those special needs.

 River's Edge has a space that can accommodate 300 guests. It is a beautifully landscaped, secluded, state-of-the-art 40'x 100' tent-style venue, designed for couples who are looking for a "wow" factor. River's Edge is fully heated and air-conditioned to provide all the facilities of the building. Just 100 feet from the Delaware River, River's Edge has a stunning backdrop, celebration scene, bridal suite, full commercial kitchen, grand cocktail party and reception area, surround sound audio system and more.

 In order to meet the dietary needs of guests, the Bensalem wedding venue Celebrations now provides couples with hors d’oeuvres and main dishes for vegetarians and vegans. Indulge in delicious menu items, including slow-roasted tomato hummus, chickpea bruschetta, sun-dried tomatoes, sweet potato and avocado tartar, vegetable biryani, and grilled tomato and cream risotto.

In the uptown area of ​​Bucks County, exciting things are "cheering up." December 2020, 

 Restaurants, bars and the only rooftop dining venue in the area, opened in the city center of Perkasie. It is planned to climb the bar in Perkasie by the end of 2021, and visit Free Will Brewing, The Ram, Perkasie Olde Town Tavern, The Perk, 

 (Will open in spring and summer 2021), and 

 (To be opened in the spring and summer of 2021)-The latter two are located in the Walnut Block.

In addition to the two Perkasie breweries mentioned, 

An open concept nano brewery is expected to open in Middletown Township. The nano brewery will have indoor and outdoor seating with taps, which can serve a variety of different styles of beer, hand-made nitro cold brew coffee, and specialty cocktails. Visitors can also check out 

 A new water supply room will be opened in spring. The brewery began to organize "Field Day" activities in its large area to adapt to this summer's activities. In 2020, 

 Opened in Newtown, two breweries along the Ale Trail added water rooms: 

. inside 

 In New Hope (also looking for 

! )with 

. In the Borough of Bristol. and also, 

 with 

 Start canning for the first time 

 Reopened under new ownership.

. This brand new tasting room will be located in a barn dating back to 1864. The winery already has two tasting rooms, namely the cabin tasting room and the horse tasting area. The addition of the barn tasting room, coupled with new outdoor seating and fireplaces, is a way for Bishop Manor to ensure a large amount of space for guests and ensure safety. They also released the Marquette Blush wines of sisters and sisters. This is a beautiful dry wine with estate-grown grapes, descendants of Pinot Noir grapes. Part of the proceeds will be used to support local families in need.

 In response to the increase in outdoor dining during the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing Vineyards has expanded its outdoor seating capacity. Washington Crossing Winery can now accommodate more than 90 customers on its terraces and cabin terraces. Visitors can also comfortably bring their own lawn chairs and social distance on the vast grounds.

The African-American Bucks County Museum (AAMBC) is currently on a touring exhibition "On the basis of a dream: From Africa to Bucks County." The museum will be located at Boone Farm in Langhorne. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its role in the great migration in the early 20th century

 During this century, millions of African Americans migrated from southern countries to northern states to obtain economic opportunities.

Sesame Place Philadelphia in Langhorne will provide tourists with more opportunities to visit the park safely in 2021. Sesame Place will open for the first time in January, February and March, hosting two new events – 

 And the 40th anniversary of Sesame Place! Elmo’s Furry Fun Festival (January 30 to Saturday and Sunday, March 21) will include a neighborhood birthday party parade, Elmo’s party balloon scavenger hunt and a fluffy friend dance party, as well as a new family-friendly S'mores and hot cocoa in the fire pit. of 

 (From January 26 to February 24, Tuesday and Wednesday) will provide free birthday hats, vibrant music tracks and colorful birthday scenes. In addition, the park will host the first family-friendly carnival celebration in the park.

. In September 2019, the independent Doylestown Theater, established in 1938, underwent a $5 million expansion project to build a new and larger lobby, including bathrooms, a third auditorium for the expansion of the program, and the seating and The box office is upgraded to the current historic theater part. The venue intends to partially open in the summer of 2020. However, due to the pandemic, they are still closed. This allows the theater to complete all construction five months in advance.

 Spend Valentine's Day at the Grundy Museum and "fall in love" with a new tour. The weekend of February 12-13 will be the grand opening of the newly restored Margaret R. Grundy Memorial.

 The funds will be used to purchase, restore and preserve Oscar Hammerstein's II's former residence and workplace at the Highland Farm in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Although the completion date has not yet been announced, the goal of the museum is to create a multi-faceted and vibrant museum experience with powerful drama education content, which will be a place of inspiration for Broadway fans and humanitarians from Hammerstein backyard and throughout the region world.

Created by the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, visitors will be able to explore different methods of measuring length, time, volume, and weight in various ways, including giant tape measures, treadmill odometers, placental meters, balance scales, etc., until the summer of 2021! The companion exhibit at the Mercer Museum will display many rare examples of early historical measuring instruments from the private collections of Bucks County residents Jill Hill and Kathy Hausman .

When they attended the annual meeting of "Agricultural Singles" together last night, a gritty young military widow 

 He also talked to her Gemi Goat and found a relationship with a fundamentalist dairy farmer from Oklahoma. The LIVE online work written by Abby Rosebrock will be broadcast from January 26th to 30th.

 In addition to virtual and face-to-face art courses for all ages, Michener will also exhibit some exhibitions, including 

 (Open on February 5), 

 (Opens on March 19), and 

 (Open on September 10). However, there is a new way to visit the museum 

 Individuals or companies are allowed to own the entire museum within two hours. When only museum staff are present, guests can use their "isolation bubble" to visit the museum.

 The interactive touch screen is located in the lobby of the Children's Museum 

 Geographic information will be collected from tourists and the combined data will be displayed in a creative and entertaining way. The exhibition will be open when the Children's Museum opens. Due to COVID-19 preventive measures, no date has been set at this time.

This outdoor shopping village has more than 65 shops, restaurants and more shops, hoping to introduce new celebrations and originals that we all know and love. As of now, you can look forward to the outdoor murder mystery walking tour, "Gaslight Murder 2: Emmeline's Murder" (February 13 to May 30), PEEP in the village (March 31 to April 11), Strawberry Festival (May). 15-16), Summer Party Month (June), July 4th Barbecue (July 4), Bluegrass and Blueberry Month (July), Peach Blossom Festival and Sidewalk Sales (August 7-8) ), the village’s scarecrow (September 6th to October 30th), October Feast (October 16th to 17th), Apple Festival (November 6th to 7th), Grand lighting event (November 19th) Day), gingerbread contest and display (November 19th to January 8th), Christmas Festival (December 4-5) and Country Food Truck Night (choose dates from June to October).

 Their virtual lecture series will continue, and annual events (such as the George Washington birthday celebration in February) will also be virtual. Please visit their website WashingtonCrossingPark.org to see upcoming events throughout the year!

15,000 square feet in Quakertown 

Similar to the public market that Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market opened in 2019, several projects are under construction this year. The Red Brick Merchant Ship will open in the spring, and it will be a space for household goods and handicrafts sold by local craftsmen. In April, there will also be live events and events-live music, public and private ticketing events and more. The demonstration kitchen is a non-profit live demonstration kitchen that will provide local communities with educational space on healthy eating and lifestyle. The kitchen will be opened in the second half of 2021. In addition, more shaded summer yard outdoor pavilions will be added to The Shadow, the seafood concept is expected to be opened, and six office spaces will be provided for new tenants.

of 

Launched in 2019, it has more than 40 locations, including bakeries, ice cream parlors, coffee roasters, chocolate shops, and candy shops, adjacent to family-friendly attractions and on both sides of the streets in the picturesque downtown of Bucks County . Fast lane's upcoming 2021 new equipment, including 

 In Morrisville and 

 In Perkasie. Increase at the end of 2020 

, 

 (Moved from the ferry market to the hawker village), 

. By checking five or more attractions on the mobile passport, sweet attractions travelers can get Bucky plush for free.

Visit Bucks County website is your resource for restaurant transactions. Find restaurant specials and gift card ideas. While the catering industry is struggling and most people are turning to takeaways, several attractions will open in 2020: 

 Lahaska 

 In Yardley, 

 In Doylestown and 

 In Levittown.

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