Carl Wilgus has only been the Executive Director for the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau for about a year, but he knows exactly how many resorts in the region still have heart- or champagne glass-shaped tubs–three of about 500. Those tubs once pulled in droves of newlyweds a generation ago but now, even though they number only a few dozen, only serve as a punch line that detracts attention from the region’s vast indoor and outdoor offerings for tourists of all kinds.
With one two-minute segment, the Travel Channel may have helped the Poconos shed that cheesy reputation once and for all. Skirmish Paintball’s ”Invasion of Normandy” game was selected as the eighth-most ”Manly Man Adventure Vacation” and was featured as part of the cable channel’s “21” series that first aired on March 5.
Wilgus was thrilled with the Poconos’ inclusion.
”It stayed with us a long time, but we’ve substantially moved beyond it,” Wilgus said of the Poconos newlywed rep. While Wilgus stopped short of declaring the Poconos a man’s world, he said it brings the region ”into the discussion for that targeted audience.”
”We’ve looked at niche marketing and we’ve been doing that since we went through a rebranding two years ago,” he said. ”It’s really around active, outdoor adventure. Skirmish is part of that.”
Skirmish, located in Jim Thorpe–known as the Gateway to the Poconos–in Carbon County, has capped participation at a whopping 3,500 for its Normandy battle in July. It only costs $59, Wilgus said, for the three-day event.
Source: Carl Wilgus, Executive Director for Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau
Writer: Joe Petrucci
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