Arts and entertainment: Happy Valley’s ticket to tourism

Luke Combs performed at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 27, in front of a crowd of 80,000 fans during his “Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old” tour. Tim Weight/For The Gazette.

CENTRE COUNTY — The arts and entertainment industry in Happy Valley looks to be booming, according to a recent study commissioned by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and the Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Alliance.
The study, released on Monday, July 29, showed that the region drew in about 897,000 visitors for art and cultural events in 2023, contributing to the economic growth of the area.
The study was conducted by the Philadelphia-based group EConsult Solutions and quantifies the overall economic impacts from visitor activity, employment, arts, entertainment, cultural events and general operations of local arts and entertainment focused businesses.
“This report demonstrates that there is a vibrant art, entertainment and cultural scene here in Centre County,” Fritz Smith, HVAB president and CEO, said. “Because of the strong and nationally renowned reputation that Happy Valley has as a sports destination, the jewels that we have in the arts and cultural scene sometimes get overlooked. But anyone who has been to the new version of the Palmer Museum of Art understands that we value culture here.”
According to the study, of the 897,000 visitors in 2023, venues such as The State Theatre, Eisenhower Auditorium and Bryce Jordan Center accounted for 722,000 of those visitors. Festivals unique to Happy Valley were also an attraction to tourists, with events such as the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, Philipsburg Heritage Days and the People’s Choice Festival drawing in about 175,000 visitors.
These 897,000 visitors had a financial impact on the Centre County economy, generating nearly $181 million in annual spending and an overall economic impact of $282 million.
Furthermore, the economic growth showed around $70 million in employee compensation for about 2,560 industry employees.
“The arts attract visitors, which can lead to the creation of jobs, entrepreneurial ventures and
innovative work by artists, designers and other creatives,” B. Stephen Carpenter II, the Michael J. and Aimee Rusinko Kakos Dean of the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State University, said.
“Put simply, the arts and other creative industries animate communities.”
The study came on the heels of the HVAB announcing the results of the 2023 Centre County Visitor Volume Study at the annual State of Tourism Breakfast on Tuesday, July 9.
In that study, conducted by Longwoods International, a new annual record of 5 million trips to Centre County were reported for 2023, which was a 3.1% increase since 2022.
At the 2024 State of Tourism Breakfast, Jennifer Brooks-Stahl, board chair of the HVAB and general manager of the Wyndham Garden State College, noted, “Last year, the HVAB set a goal of realizing 5 million visitors and a billion in visitors spending by the end of 2024. I’m pleased to report that we’ve already achieved that goal.”
Of the 5 million visits, the Longwoods International study reported 3.2 million day trips and 1.8 million overnight trips took place in 2023. However, members of the HVAB, HVSEA and other industry leaders have pointed out that the arts and cultural sectors of Centre County have the potential to greatly impact the growth of visitor numbers and revenue in the area.
“Investing in arts and cultural production is an investment in economic resilience,” Carpenter said.
“This economic impact study of arts, culture and entertainment in Centre County is an important and necessary foundation on which to build a credible, focused and strategic path forward for the Happy Valley region.”
The same firm, EConsult Solutions, released a study in 2022 revealing that local sporting events, especially Penn State sports, generated $417 million in economic impact for the whole county.
Though sports have a high economic impact on Centre County, the newest study reveals additional avenues for growth via the arts and entertainment.
“The study will open some eyes for sure,” Smith said. “The economic impact of football season
is much more obvious because it is compacted and easily observable. Over the course of the
entire year, our robust arts and cultural offerings quietly but significantly benefit the local
economy at a high level.”