OP-ED: Tourism is an $800 million economic engine
When we celebrate economic development in Washington County, the conversation often focuses on business attractions, existing expansions, and the family-sustaining jobs these investments bring to our communities. However, there is another powerful economic engine operating in our communities every day – the tourism industry.
According to a recently released report from the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development and Visit PA, visitors spent a record $804.5 million in Washington County in 2025. This outpaces both the regional and state averages and is a prominent 5% increase over 2024. What is more outstanding is that visitor spending in our county has increased 35% over the last five years.
The study, The 2025 Economic Impact of Visitors to Pennsylvania, analyzed the impact of travel and tourism across the state. The report confirmed continued growth in Washington County in significant categories such as Total Business Sales, Employment, Personal Income, and State/Local Taxes generated by the tourism industry.
As the report further details, our local tourism economy generated an excellent $1.368 billion in Total Business Sales that supported 8,827 jobs which generated $448.1 million in personal income. The travel industry also generated a total of $81.3 million in state, county, and local tax revenue. These impressive statistics are all increases from the prior year and rank Washington County second, after Allegheny County, among the eight counties in the Greater Pittsburgh tourism region.
The state’s independent findings illustrate that the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency’s business strategy to promote our exciting county in partnership with our local hotels, small businesses, event operators, tourism attractions, volunteers, and municipalities is successful in attracting visitors, growing our economy, and supporting jobs for our residents. It further demonstrates the effectiveness of our long-standing partnership with the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, which has allowed the Agency to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and achieve better results when benchmarked against regional peers.
The $804.5 million spent by visitors last year is an impressive number and reaching that record milestone is an exciting, clear signal that the visitor economy is an important piece of our diverse economic mix. Still, behind that number there are hundreds of businesses, thousands of jobs, millions of dollars in wages, and, most importantly, countless people working together to make Washington County a wonderful place to visit.
The Tourism Promotion Agency markets the county, amplifies the stories from around our communities, and encourages people to take a trip, but the true, welcoming experience our county is known for happens through the continued hard work of our partners. It is experienced at every volunteer community festival, production at Little Lake Theater or new Canon Theatre, rodeo at Little A Town Arena, performance at the Aquatorium, visit to Meadowcroft Rockshelter, and through the excellent services and products provided by the small businesses that are supported by tourism. This is why continued investment in the tourism economy matters.
The $804.5 million spent by visitors last year should be celebrated, as it is the engine that powers that visitor economy, but that engine is driven by the people and businesses working to make our community a great place to visit and an even better place to live, work, and do business.
Jeff Kotula is president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Promotion Agency.