Jul. 13—Berks County is making a serious commitment to bolstering tourism.
The commissioners announced Wednesday that they recently made a $450,000 contribution to support the efforts of Pennsylvania's Americana Region, the organization tasked with bringing visitors to the county. The contribution is the largest grant the local tourism organization has ever received.
The county's investment is part of a larger, comprehensive economic development initiative called IMAGINE Berks.
Pennsylvania's Americana Region encourages tourists to discover and explore everything Berks has to offer by marketing the vast array of arts, culture, outdoor recreation and main street amenities in the county.
With the additional funding, officials said the organization will help lead several of the strategies outlined in IMAGINE Berks like defining the identity of the county and promoting local attractions, events and programming.
Crystal Seitz, president of Pennsylvania's Americana Region, said there are already several initiatives designed to achieve those strategies, including a branding and marketing campaign refresh, a new tourism website, the creation of several trail apps and videos featuring local attractions. The organization will work closely with the Berks County Parks and Recreation Department, the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance, Berks Arts and main street leaders.
"Americana has been an important partner to the county for many years and we believe, with this additional financial support, will play a crucial role in helping to implement our IMAGINE Berks plan," said county Commissioner Kevin Barnhardt. "The commissioners want to make sure this plan brings forth real action that will help propel our community into the future. By working directly with our community partners, we can build from their prior successes and truly maximize these efforts."
Seitz noted that tourism plays a huge role in the economic development of the community.
Even during the outbreak of COVID and the ensuing shutdowns, she cited a study from national tourism firm that found tourism still provided more than $1.2 billion in economic impact to Berks in 2020.
"Imagine what these new monies, through enhanced marketing, can do for our businesses and county for the next three to five years," Seitz said. "Our marketing not only brings visitors to the area, but encourages talent, college students and businesses to consider working or growing their business here.
"It also helps our local communities learn about all the fun things we have to offer," she added.