Annual Report 2023-24
The Annual Report from fiscal year 2023-24 is available. Download the full document or scroll through a brief synopsis below.
Research & Data
Discover Lehigh Valley® contracts with Smith Travel Research, also referred to as STR, the recognized leader in hospitality benchmarking around the globe. DLV analyzes a monthly report and utilizes traveler sentiment derived from Longwoods International and insights from migration data on behalf of Tourism Economics to aggregate destination insights.
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Average Daily Rate (ADR) is the measure of average rate paid for rooms sold. The top performing month for Average Daily Rate was at $132 in July 2023.
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Hotel Occupancy is the percentage of available rooms sold, and occupancy in Lehigh Valley peaked in July 2023 and June 2024 at 71%. U.S. Hotel National Average: 62.8%
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Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) is the revenue generated per hotel room regardless of if rooms are occupied or not. RevPAR peaked in July 2023 at $93.
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Total Hotel Room Supply grew 5.2% year-over-year.
Marketing, Advertising, & Public Relations
VisitPA Cooperative Advertising
Creative elements featured It's Always Playtime (Crayola Experience, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Martin Guitar), Holiday Magic (Easton Winter Village), A Mountain Bike Playground, while pairing with VisitPA.com’s “The Uncommon is Calling.” Target Markets: New York, Northern New Jersey, Philadelphia, HLLY, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.
VisitPA Co-Op Campaign Results
- 65.6 Million Total Digital Impressions
- 990,200 Total Clicks
- 1.56% Click Through Rate (CTR)
- $0.39 Cost Per Click
- 6.1 Million Total Video Completions
Public Relations
Targeting editorial calendars with specific pitches, Lehigh Valley landed in national and regional headlines totaling 670 placements, an advertising value of $372,441, garnering 16,406,502 impressions.
International Marketing:
To support Historic Moravian Bethlehem’s progress towards World Heritage Site status, DLV reached international connections through a paid partnership with BrandUSA and VisitTheUSA.com (15 sites & 8 languages), as well as collaborative efforts through VisitPA.com.
Partnership
DLV partners are tourism-facing businesses across Lehigh and Northampton Counties that contribute to the rich diversity of experiences available to visitors each day. These businesses can participate in a wide range of services enhancing their visibility and engagement with visitors and residents.
- 1,000+ Total partners
- 94 New partners onboarded
- 157,326 Partner referrals
- 373 Number of partner accounts that logged into Extranet
Website
89.7% of web traffic came from new users,showing that DLV's strategy successfully attracts fresh eyes and visitors to Lehigh Valley. DLV continues its reach to neighboring areas, including New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore while continuing to engage our local communities.
Top Acquisitions Channels
- Organic Search
- Display
- Paid Search
- Meta
- Direct
Top 5 Locations of Visitors to Website
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- Virginia
- New Jersey
- Florida
Website wins
- 2,755,039 users (+41.1% increase)
- 3,786,437 sessions (+38.58% increase)
- 2,472,120 new users (+39.11% increase)
- 7,392,532 pageviews (+30.07% increase)
Translated Welcome Pages
In spring of 2024, DLV launched custom content for foreign English, Spanish, and German speakers visiting DiscoverLehighValley.com. Content includes travel information from airports, UNESCO World Heritage, attractions, and more.
Sales, Services, & Sports
The Tourism Development team achieved remarkable success by generating 140 business opportunities for Lehigh Valley hotels, venues, and sports facilities, resulting in over 22,000 hotel room nights booked, an impressive 86% year-over-year growth.
Leads Generated
- 140 total leads generated (85% increase YoY)
- 82 Meetings and Conventions (105% increase YoY)
- 58 Sports leads (132% increase YoY)
Hotel Room Nights Booked for the FUture
- 6,300+ Meetings/Conferences
- 6,500+ Sports
Lehigh Valley Ambassador Program
The Lehigh Valley Ambassador Program is a community-centered initiative launched by DLV to inspire local pride and elevate our region as a premier destination. We designed this free program to transform residents into passionate advocates, giving them the tools and knowledge to promote the best of the Lehigh Valley—from its cultural heritage to its vibrant local attractions. Our goal is simple: empower people to tell our story and showcase why Lehigh Valley is such a unique and wonderful place to live and visit. Community members can become an ambassador in less than one minute.
1,559 Lehigh Valley Ambassadors
(July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024)
Get in Touch!
Get more detailed research, connect with the DLV team, and more. Contact Alex Michaels.
Social Media
Our efforts were focused on platforms with the highest growth potential, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, which delivered the most significant engagement growth Year over Year (YoY). Our organic strategy included an increased focus on video content, a robust, forward-looking content calendar, and a goal of posting one organic video daily. These efforts resulted in a 403% increase in video views YoY and an increase in total published posts across Facebook (+19%), Instagram (+107%), and TikTok (+208%).
Channel Growth