Valley Forge Tourism to Present WOMEN IN JAZZ FEST & More

Valley Forge Tourism celebrated Montgomery County, PA as a premiere tourism destination during the 7th annual Travel Rally on Monday, which was held at Commonwealth National Golf Club during National Travel & Tourism Week. Themed "Travel Forward," roughly 200 guests who attended the special event enjoyed local entertainment, heard about a record summer for sports, and were the first to learn of several initiatives coming to the region, including the return of the Montco Jazz Fest with a brand-new Women in Jazz theme.

"Here in Montco, we're beyond proud to see how tourism continues to move forward," noted Mike Bowman, President & CEO of the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board. "This industry remains a huge positive economic driver in Montgomery County, PA. In 2022, we're estimating that hospitality contributed more than $1.5 billion, and more than 25,000 jobs. And, we're forecasting that by the end of this year, we'll exceed 2019 levels for tourism spend!"

Also noted, the Valley Forge Sports team is having a record summer with nine USA events coming to Montgomery County. US Youth Soccer alone will generate more than 5,000 room nights - the largest single sporting event in Montco ever - and almost $5 million in positive economic impact. Combined, all the USA events mean 12,500 room nights for more than $10 economic impact, and more than 40,000 room nights total for sports this summer.

During the event, Valley Forge Tourism announced the return of their Montco Jazz Fest, which will be incorporated in the organization's third annual Arts Montco Week, September 20 - October 1, and include a Women in Jazz theme. The festival will feature dozens of performances at iconic Montgomery County venues. Also announced with costumed performers was the return of the Valley Forge engagement of the American Revolution Show, performing at Washington Memorial Chapel May 27 and June 10. The highly-acclaimed, Italian Renaissance-style show has performed at other noted venues, such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Lincoln Center in New York.

Event attendees also enjoyed entertainment from the Hailey Brinnel Quartet, the Hatboro Horsham High School Color Guard, a banner plane flyover from High Exposure Inc., hot air balloon, and Monty the Fox, Valley Forge Tourism's mascot.

It was also shared that Cirque du Soleil will return to Montgomery County in the Fall. The iconic and breath-taking Cirque du Soleil BAZZAR makes its North American debut at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks, PA. A colorful homage to Cirque du Soleil legacy, BAZZAR will premiere on September 26 - October 22 under the Big Top, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, 100 Station Avenue, Oaks, PA.

Valley Forge Tourism also teased their summer video media campaign, which positions Montco's strengths as the ultimate family destination. Thanks to consumer research and trend monitoring, along with Valley Forge's ongoing partnership with Zartico (a company that helps track visitor information to provide details on where visitors are coming from, places they're visiting while they're in the region, how long they're staying, and what they're spending), the organization knows a large majority of travelers, specifically in NYC & DC, are making leisure travel a priority, and will target their family-focused messaging to those markets and more.

Additionally, the third annual Crave Montco Month will return in July, a robust, four-week campaign to highlight Montgomery County's over 1,850 restaurants and Montco Makers. The promotion will feature a dining passport using Bandwango and include social media influencer takeovers, consumer activations, a dine-around FAM, Crave box drops and content featuring towns, chefs, and recipes.

For more information and upcoming events, visit valleyforge.org.

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