Pittsburgh #1 in it's category for tourism...again. (McKees Rocks, Paradise: move to, beach)

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by LIRefugee

He's banned.

Hallelujah. There is an e-god.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

i am sorry that zman is banned, if he actually is. i dont recall his ever being anything but honest. not everyone likes everything. i mean, if this were a lady gaga forum, im positive it would be trolled by people that hate her. its in HOW you say it - and i dont think he was malicious.

for the topic - this is great news! there are advantages in being mid-sized.

Szug, if I remember he personally attacked someone and went way over the line in doing so.

Topic (sorry YAC haha) - I think this stat is kind of useless. Tourism is a fickle and not really that much of an indicator of growth.

[LIRefugee]

Having tourists is nice, but in no way should the local economy ever DEPEND on tourism, a la Las Vegas and a few other places. That's a recipe for instability.

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by speagles84

Tourism is a fickle and not really that much of an indicator of growth.

Maybe not consistent growth no, but nothing is better for shedding old perceptions than a bunch of tourism. In the long-term that will trickle to more concrete economic growth.

[Gee Whiz]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Maybe not consistent growth no, but nothing is better for shedding old perceptions than a bunch of tourism. In the long-term that will trickle to more concrete economic growth.

Bingo. That what I was trying to construe, rather than having aspirations to have tourism be the new steel.

[sammy87]

The list looks like mostly convention traffic. I don't think anyone is really taking their family to Pittsburgh over Disney. Its a decent long weekend spot but that's about it.

[Gee Whiz]

Originally Posted by sammy87

The list looks like mostly convention traffic. I don't think anyone is really taking their family to Pittsburgh over Disney. Its a decent long weekend spot but that's about it.

Nobody said nor was implying that Pittsburgh was a family destination over Disney. See the words "in our category." It takes way more than a weekend to see and enjoy all that Pittsburgh has to offer. What difference does it make if the visitors are coming here for conventions, baseball, sightseeing, art, whatever. Even if it is "mostly convention traffic" as you think. Is not trying to book conventions over other comparable cities of our size a competitive business? Are they having their convention in Pittsburgh because it is a lousy place to visit? The numbers don't lie.

[pghdude28]

Originally Posted by Gee Whiz

It takes way more than a weekend to see and enjoy all that Pittsburgh has to offer.

I think 3 full days in Pittsburgh is plenty for most tourists, unless you think they should visit tourist destinations like McKees Rocks? Or relax with a pina colada on the sandy shores of Neville Island lol.

[Craziaskowboi]

Tourism should be nothing more than the cherry on top of a local economy. No economy that's based primarily on people from elsewhere spending money is sustainable, because people can spend money anywhere they want. Take a look at Las Vegas. It's going to be a long time before things are back to normal there, because no economic sectors other than tourism and construction were developed well enough.

The real value in tourism is the publicity. About six years ago I took a trip to Arkansas, because it was the only Southern state that I hadn't yet visited. At the time, there didn't seem to be any compelling reason to visit other than that, but that changed once I visited. Next time I go to Arkansas, I'll need to spend more time in the Ozark Mountains, and check out Hot Springs National Park as well. I might even swing by the town of Hope to see where Bill Clinton spent his childhood.

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by pghdude28

I think 3 full days in Pittsburgh is plenty for most tourists, unless you think they should visit tourist destinations like McKees Rocks? Or relax with a pina colada on the sandy shores of Neville Island lol.

Clearly you are unhappy here because you don't have a clue what all this city has going on. I am *never* able to pack in enough stuff in three days when friends visit. They always leave town super bummed out that they didn't make half their list.