Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau Launches New & Improved Website
Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau Launches New & Improved Website
BRADFORD, PA - VisitANF.com, the official, newly designed website for the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau, launched today, January 26, 2021, which also is designated as National Plan Your Vacation Day. This day is promoted by US Travel as the day for Americans to plan their hard-earned time off. It is the day you give yourself permission to dream.
“What better day to launch our new website than the day promoted by US Travel as the day to start planning for your 2021 vacation?” states Linda Devlin, Executive Director of the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau, the official destination marketing agency for McKean County, Pennsylvania.
The new website is designed for easy navigation via smartphone, tablet, or computer. As our area is a naturally scenic area known for its great beauty, the website now uploads social media photos daily onto the front page of the site. In all, there are now 335 pages of useful travel information, maps, photography, and recreational information on VisitANF.com. The website’s information is organized under the categories of Trails, Recreation, See & Do, Places to Stay, Shopping, Food & Drink, Events and COVID-19. Each section has an attractive pop-up screen making it extremely easy to locate the information you are seeking. The COVID-19 page offers useful, up-to-date information to keep travelers safe while they are visiting Pennsylvania.
The Kinzua Sky Walk, the region’s number one most visited attraction, receives special attention on the website. Along with information on the Kinzua Bridge State Park, the Visitor Center at the park, and the trails in or connecting to the park, a second section on the website delves into the fascinating history of the building of the Kinzua Viaduct, the tornado, and the reinvention of the remaining six towers into the Kinzua Sky Walk. The Video Tours link takes you to fascinating, award winning videos including Tracks Across the Sky.
“Trail Central™ is the brand name used by the ANF Visitors Bureau in marketing our region as a premier outdoor recreation destination,” says Devlin. “Having over 600 miles of four-season multi-use trails is a unique feature of our region.”
Trails are available year-round, for both motorized and non-motorized use. Trails maps are included on the website for hiking, biking, mountain biking, equestrian, ATV, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and water trails. In addition, there are maps for Scenic Driving Trails, Self-Guided Walking Tours in Bradford, Kane and Smethport, and Heritage Trails, including the Collectible Heritage Pin Trail. In the trail section there is a downloadable map of the section of the North Country Trail located in the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) and Hiking Notes for a 3-day/2-night backpacking experience on the Bullis Hollow Trail.
“Outdoor Recreation in and around the Allegheny National Forest generates the greatest number of visitors to our region,” says Devlin. “As a four-season destination, all the popular recreational activities such as fishing, boating, kayaking, hunting, the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative, geocaching, and scenic driving are featured on the site. The information is presented in a format of more photos, less text.”
The saying, “One picture is worth a thousand words,” really holds true for websites and social media. For those who desire more in-depth informational text, links are provided to the Allegheny National Forest, Kinzua Bridge State Park, and Allegany State Park websites.
Visitors are always seeking maps. The new site features over 55 maps, plus downloadable brochures including the annual ANF Visitors Bureau’s Travel Guide & Map. An interactive lodging map showcases all the lodging options available on the Allegheny National Forest, and the private lodging available from the member/partners of the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau, the official tourist promotion agency for McKean County. Nearby member/partner lodging options in Ellicottville at Holiday Valley Resort, or in Cook Forest, Elk Forest and Warren counties are also featured.
“As part of the ANF Visitors Bureau’s Facebook site @ANFVisitorsBureau, which has over 93,000 followers, our social media posts greatly increase the visibility of local, privately owned business members,” says Devlin. “Also, on VisitANF.com each business has a “splash page. This page includes attractive photos, interesting information highlighting their business, and links to their websites and social media pages.”
VisitANF.com was partially funded by CARES Grant funding received from McKean County as part of the bureau’s marketing campaign to recapture lost market share due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional funding was provided by the room tax travelers pay when staying overnight in McKean County, Pennsylvania. The new website was designed by Xpheria Web Services located in Smethport, Pennsylvania.
If you would like to know more about how your business can benefit as part of the marketing reach of the ANF Visitors Bureau, please click on www.VisitANF.com/membership. The bureau is always seeking new photos of outdoor recreation, wildlife, birds, and beautiful scenery within McKean County, the ANF, the Kinzua Bridge State Park, or the Allegany State Park, NY. If you would like to submit photos for possible inclusion on the social media feed for the new website, please submit your photos to #anfvisitorsbureau including where the photo was taken, and the name for the photo credit.
