How local businesses can work with the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau to reach more visitors

A visitor rarely uses only one business during a trip. A lodging guest may need dinner, transportation, recreation, repairs, or gifts. That creates opportunities for businesses outside traditional tourism categories.

The practical question is not, “How do we become a tourist attraction?” It is, “What information would help a visitor confidently choose or find us?”

For a local business, that may mean clearer parking instructions, seasonal hours, current contact details, or staff ready to answer basic area questions.

PMVB is a private, nonprofit membership organization established in 1934. It serves as the official destination marketing organization for Carbon, Monroe, Pike, and Wayne counties in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Its work centers on promoting the region, its communities, and participating businesses to visitors. That role is different from ours as a Chamber. We focus on business and community connections, while PMVB focuses specifically on destination marketing and the visitor economy.

Pennsylvania also recognizes designated destination marketing organizations as local tourism offices serving travelers through promotion and visitor information.

Before seeking more visibility, make sure the information a visitor may encounter is dependable. A listing that sends someone to a closed door or an outdated phone number can work against the business.

Use a short visitor-readiness check:

• confirm regular and seasonal business hours;
• review the address, phone number, and website shown publicly;
• explain parking or entrance details when they are not obvious;
• update menus, service descriptions, and reservation information;
• make sure staff know where to direct basic visitor questions.

Repeat the check before a major event or seasonal shift, especially when operating hours will change.

This work is useful even if a business never appears in a travel guide. Clear information improves the experience for local customers too.

One of the strongest local tools is a good referral. A hotel desk that can suggest nearby food, a retailer that knows where a visitor can find a local service, or an attraction that can point a family toward another stop keeps more activity within the community.

Build those relationships deliberately: meet nearby operators, exchange current contacts, and explain which visitor questions your business can solve.

Avoid creating referral promises that staff cannot maintain. A simple, accurate recommendation is more useful than a stack of brochures nobody has reviewed.

Seasonality matters. Refresh referral information when visitor patterns change.

An event can create attention, but it does not guarantee sales for every nearby company. Businesses still need to decide whether the audience, timing, location, and staffing needs fit their operation.

Before an event, ask:

• Will our hours match the visitor flow?
• Does our team know the event location and timing?
• Is there a simple offer or service visitors actually need?
• Can neighboring businesses refer customers to one another?
• Are directions and parking details current?

Those questions make event participation operational rather than promotional.

Regional business resources can help members identify economic-development, workforce, tourism, and community organizations that fit a specific need. Use those connections to decide who should receive a question rather than assuming one organization handles every kind of business support.

For visitor-facing businesses, PMVB is the logical source for current destination-marketing opportunities and tourism information. The statewide tourism office also identifies local tourism organizations across Pennsylvania.

We do not promise that a listing, membership, event, or referral will increase traffic or sales. What we can encourage is readiness: keep information current, know the regional partners, build useful relationships with neighboring businesses, and make it easy for visitors to understand what you offer when they arrive.