Tourism Discussed At Annual VisitPittsburgh Meeting

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Ten million dollars is spent every year by the group VisitPittsburgh, and 80 percent of that funding comes from the Allegheny County hotel taxes.

On Wednesday, VisitPittsburgh held their annual meeting to discuss how the group is faring.

"Pittsburgh continues to excel when measured against our competitive set; and this is a competitive set that includes such cities as Charlotte, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Indianapolis," said Craig Davis, the president of Visit Pittsburgh.

"It's just been a tremendous year for attracting conventions and groups to come to our city," added Doris Carson Williams, the board chairman of Visit Pittsburgh. "We shine once they get here. They love us and want to come back."

The annual meeting of VisitPittsburgh features hundreds of people who want to tell the world what the city has to offer.

"We are diverse. We are diverse in tourism, we are diverse in energy, finance, manufacturing; steel is still very important here, there's a lot of things going on," Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said. "The movie industry - that Hollywood comes here. We are Hollywood of the east. The more people that come here and learn about Pittsburgh, what a great place it is."

Pittsburgh's skyline is constantly changing, and one of the big reasons is construction of new hotels. Those hotels are necessary though because the people keep coming to Pittsburgh.

"We see ourselves as part of the economic engine of hospitality and tourism," said Matthew Sterne, the general manager of the Fairmont Pittsburgh. "It's important to get the word out for the City of Pittsburgh, and that's what those monies go towards, and it's important to the city that we all contribute to getting the word of what a great city Pittsburgh is to the world."

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