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Bethlehem ready to bolster tourism through World Heritage designation
August 12th, 2024 | In The News
Written by Stacy Wescoe for Lehigh Valley Business
Bethlehem has long had a robust tourism economy, from the annual Musikfest, which draws in more than one million people a year, to the Wind Creek Casino, National Industrial History Museum and Christmas City tours.
But now the city has upped its game.
Bethlehem’s Moravian Church Settlement was recently inscribed on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List at the World Heritage Committee meeting in New Delhi, India.
Moravian Church Settlements of Bethlehem, USA; Herrnhut, Germany; and Gracehill, Northern Ireland/UK now join Christiansfeld, Denmark (inscribed in 2015) as a single World Heritage Site that represents the outstanding universal value of these historic settlements and the worldwide influence of the Moravian Church.
The inscription site spans 10 acres and includes nine structures, four ruins and God’s Acre cemetery, all within the already designated Historic Moravian Bethlehem National Historic Landmark District. Among these sites are: ‒ The 1741 Gemeinhaus, the oldest building in Bethlehem, which houses the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem. ‒ The 1762 Waterworks, an ASCE Historic Civil Engineering and American Water landmark, was America’s first pumped municipal water system in the Colonial Industrial Quarter.
The site includes nine structures, four ruins, and God’s Acre cemetery, all within the already designated Historic Moravian Bethlehem National Historic Landmark District — one of only eight Landmark Districts in Pennsylvania and one of just over 200 in the nation.
But what does that mean for tourism? A lot said Bethlehem Mayor William Reynolds.
However, because of the newness and uniqueness of Bethlehem’s place as a World Heritage Site, it’s hard to gauge just what the economic impact will be.
“It’s hard to know. We don’t have anything to compare it to,” said Reynolds. He noted that another example of a World Heritage Site in the U.S. would be Yellowstone National Park. But that site, as a site of geological wonders is far different from the history and world connection that define the Bethlehem site.
But in its uniqueness come some advantages, Reynolds said.
“Those other sites are not surrounded by the level of economic vibrancy that Bethlehem has,” he said.
The goal among stakeholders is to study long range plans to tie Bethlehem’s status as a World Heritage Site to other attractions in the Greater Lehigh Valley to promote international tourism and overnight stays, which have a stronger impact on the local economy.
“We’re designing a multi-day experience that will get people from more than just an afternoon. The stay over is really what has the economic impact,” he said.
He said the city is working with tourism agency, Discover Lehigh Valley, Historic Bethlehem Museum & Sites and a number of other stakeholders to create programing that will tie in the story of the evolution of Bethlehem as an example of the growth of the nation.
Ultimately, the city wants to see the World Heritage site tell the story of the city’s colonial history, industrial history and how it now stands an example of a successful post-industrial city.
For now, operations at the historical sites of the World Heritage site will remain mostly as they have been, which have been successful.
But stakeholders are working on a five to 15-year plan to create a tourism experience worthy of drawing in people from New York, Philadelphia and across the country and globe.
While organizers aren’t able to put a dollar figure on what the designation will mean for tourism, they are putting a solid investment in making sure the region takes best advantage of it.
Reynolds said thousands of staff hours have been spent bringing the designation to the site and even more will go into maximizing it.
