The Impact of Tourism in Lancaster PA

Statistics

Press

Tourism is one of the leading industries in the county, an important source of tax revenues, and a key economic development tool. Its investments in attractions and amenities serve the traveling public, enhance the quality of life of area residents, and produce growth in other sectors of our economy.

Hundreds of companies in Lancaster County benefit from travel and tourism through their direct interaction with visitors at places like attractions, restaurants, shops, gas stations and lodging properties. But these benefits also ripple outward to businesses in the industry’s supply chain, such as farmers, printers, builders, cleaning suppliers, landscapers…the list goes on and on.

When people travel, they spend money, whether it’s a family vacation, bus trip or annual convention. This spending directly translates into sales for Lancaster County businesses, jobs for Lancaster County residents and crucial tax revenue for our county and local governments.

Central to the success of the area’s tourism industry is Discover Lancaster. We are the official destination marketing organization for Lancaster County, and the impact of our promotional outreach is demonstrated by the figures in the rest of this section.

Statistics

Tourism works for Lancaster County.

The “Lancaster County Visitor Economy” report completed in May 2026 by the respected industry analysts at Tourism Economics contains figures that demonstrate why organizations like Discover Lancaster are so crucial.

Through an analysis of key performance indicators, the study describes the economic impact of this important work.

On the whole, tourism held its own in 2025 – with small increases in four of five primary metrics, thus largely retaining our post-pandemic gains overall:

Visitation of about 10 million (9.99) – a slight (1.7%; 175K) reduction from 2024
Visitor spending of $2.74 billion – nearly half a percent rise over 2024
Total economic impact of $3.61 billion – increase of seven tenths of a percent from 2024
Nominal gain (0.3%) in tourism-related employment – providing work for 26,436 people
Now saving each Lanc. Co. household $1,196 a year in state & local taxes via tourism revenue

Press Releases

Discover Lancaster shares 2025 tourism data and highlights “New for ‘26” items, 5/6/26

Press Coverage

“Lancaster continues to be a tourism hotspot”
FOX 43, 5/14/26

“Post-COVID lull: Visitor count drops, spending slightly up for Lancaster's 2025 tourism industry”
LNP, 6/4/26

Partners

Discover Lancaster is proud to partner with local businesses that are committed to creating the best possible experience for visitors and residents of Lancaster County, PA.

Details