Craft Beverage Trail Collaborations in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is second in the nation when it comes to the amount of craft beer produced, and the number of breweries in Pennsylvania has increased steadily since 2010. Most of these engage in some form of beer tourism, and doing so can enhance local and regional tourism by offering brewery events on site, attending craft beverage/ale/local festivals, participating in craft beverage trails, and being part of brewery bus tours. These activities are often developed in collaboration with destination marketing organizations to attract more tourists to an area.
With funding from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, a team of Penn State Extension researchers led by Claudia Schmidt conducted a study to gain a better understanding of these collaborations. They selected six beer trails across the commonwealth and interviewed their managers/administrators about how their trails began, gamification components (passports and memberships), the challenges they encountered and what recommendations they might have for others who would like to establish a trail in their county.
Authors: Claudia Schmidt, Sarah Cornelisse, and Harry Crissy
Publication: Published by NERCRD Date Published: June 23, 2021