Be Local means seeing Laurel Highlands as an emerging destination
A group of top travel bloggers has named the Laurel Highlands one of the Top 30 Emerging Travel Destinations For 2020 – in the world.
Be Local means acknowledging this region’s many assets that make it a tourist destination.
Travel Lemming, which promotes emerging destinations as a solution to over-tourism, made the announcement Nov. 5, proclaiming on its website:
“Who would have thought one of the best nature destinations in the United States was just an hour outside of Pittsburgh? A landscape so beautiful that it inspired two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpieces, today the Laurel Highlands beckon with luxury resorts offering prime ski slope access and cozy woodland accommodations perfect for cuddling up next to a cup of coffee and a book. You’ll find plenty to get the adrenaline flowing in the summer, too – from whitewater rafting to rock climbing to hiking, the possibilities for adventures are endless in the Laurel Highlands.”
Recommendation for when to visit is “all year round.”
Ann Nemanic, executive director of Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, official marketing organization for Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland Counties, called it a “Wow moment.”
Nemanic commented, “Now the world will know about the magic a visitor can discover in the Laurel Highlands. Just an hour from our partner city of Pittsburgh, international visitors will have easy access to our three-county region and the opportunity to view the magnificence of our four-season landscape, enjoy our tourism assets, appreciate unsurpassed recreational opportunities, and immerse themselves in the history and culture, including seeing first-hand the genius of Frank Lloyd Wright.”
Among Travel Lemming’s top destinations are the nations of Georgia in Europe and Lebanon in the Middle East as well as Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada, the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, Rwanda in Africa, Kyrgyzstan in Asia and Ecuador in Latin America.
Besides the Laurel Highlands, U.S. sites include Colorado Springs, Colorado; Paso Robles, California; and Navarre Beach, Florida.
Winners were selected by 30 of the industry’s most popular travel bloggers, who collectively have more than 12 million followers on social media. Pennsylvania Tourism Office/Visit PA nominated the Laurel Highlands.
This is one of several honors local sites received this year: Outside Magazine named Ohiopyle State Park the best park in Pennsylvania and Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine made Ohiople a finalist in its Top Adventure Town contest.
Most prestigious, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Committee inscribed Fallingwater in Mill Run and seven other Frank Lloyd Wright-designed sites to its World Heritage List.
While attracting national and international visitors, Fallingwater shows its appreciation by offering two Fayette County Days each year when local residents can visit for free. The next day is Nov. 17. Visitors are asked to call ahead for tickets.
For this latest honor, Carrie Fischer Lepore, deputy secretary, Marketing, Tourism, & Film, Pennsylvania Dept. of Community & Economic Development, noted in a release: “It’s time to move the Laurel Highlands to the top of your bucket-list while pursuing your happiness in Pennsylvania!”
Those interested in joining the Be Local Network can call 724-439-7515 or email swallach@heraldstandard.com. Discount cards are available at the 蘑菇视频, 8 E. Church St., Uniontown, and at the Greene County Messenger, 32 Church St., Waynesburg.