June 30, 2009
Wolfgang �s (Free) Chocolate Factory Tour Attracting Record Numbers of Tourists
Wolfgang Candy Company, Inc.
Press Contact: Mike Schmid
Managing Partner - Marketing
Phone: 717.843.5536, x140
E-mail: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wolfgang �s (Free) Chocolate Factory Tour
Attracting Record Numbers of Tourists
York, Pennsylvania. (June 24, 2009) In only three days, over 800 tourists from 4 countries and 17 different states, including a group of 28 visitors who travelled all the way from Hawaii, visited the historic Wolfgang Candy Factory in York, Pennsylvania. Wolfgang Candy Company is experiencing record-breaking numbers of visitors, nearly 5,000�since January, 41 percent higher than Wolfgang visitors during the year ago January to May period.
�Looking at these numbers, I�m anticipating a heavy factory tour season as we move into the summer months, said Mike Schmid � Managing Partner Marketing. I think this is a wonderful trend for Wolfgang and a testament to the very positive efforts of our York County Convention & Visitors Bureau to position York as an important tourism destination,� added Schmid.
Travelers from near and far visit York County�s Wolfgang Candy Factory. Last week, Tracey and Jack Miller of nearby Middletown, PA, made a special trip to tour the chocolate factory with their two children Andrea, 10, and Logan, 8. Andrea was all smiles and said, �The tour was awesome. The workers put a lot of work into the candy.� Brother Logan, was very excited, and exclaimed, �I loved watching the chocolate pour down over the candy!�
Vacationers Terry Wolfgang Habermehl of Rogers City, Michigan and Barb Ellenberger of Onaway, Michigan, toured the Wolfgang Candy Company as part of their getaway. Barb told Wolfgang�s Das Sweeten Haus Store Manager Amy Kelley how they �enjoyed seeing real chocolate up close and loved chatting with the tour guides,� saying �the sights and smells were mouthwatering.�
Attracting international travelers, Wolfgang Factory tour guests over the same three days visited from Guam, Russia, Scotland, and a few Canadian provinces, serving to help counter the US Travel Association�s projected nine percent decline in international travel to the United States for 2009.
According to the U.S. Travel Association (�Summer Leisure Travel Outlook Remarkably Stable in Down Economy,� 5/13/09, Cathy Keefe 202.408.2183), Americans anticipate taking more day trips or long weekend getaways rather than week-long vacations this summer. York area attractions like the Wolfgang Chocolate Factory Tour are perfect family value-packed getaways for free fun, learning, family memories and, of course, delicious Wolfgang Chocolate.
Although Americans are carefully watching their vacation budgets and discretionary spending, the U.S. Travel Association reported that more than half (51 percent) of vacationers anticipate spending the same amount on summer travels this year This is great news for York County�s still thriving tourism industry. Anne Druck, President of the York County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said, "Wolfgang is a key partner in the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau's Factory Tour product. Factory Tours are a great attraction for visitors, especially considering their built-in added value.�
To enhance the value Wolfgang offers tour guests, Wolfgang�s Das Sweeten Haus Store Manager Amy Kelley has implemented inventive programs like a store partnership with the all-star York Revolution Baseball Team and Wolfgang�s wildly successful Sweetest Saturdays�Wolfgang Factory Tour events that feature seasonal festivities as a sweet escape from humdrum weekends.
The April 2009 travelhorizons� survey by the U.S. Travel Association and Ypartnership shows that an estimated 54 percent of American households are planning to take at least one leisure trip this summer, compared to just 50 percent at the same time last year. �We are hoping that many of those leisure travelers find their way to the most welcoming and delicious free Chocolate Factory experience in the USA,� asserted Ms. Kelley.
Ms. Kelley continued, �Not only will visitors get a taste of Wolfgang�s flourishing American spirit and work ethic, they can also indulge in free samples and purchase Wolfgang�s classic chocolates like Peanut Butter Bears or our innovative originals like Jungle Jacks (milk chocolate-dipped animal cookies) and Skipjacks (milk chocolate-dipped, sweet& salty oyster crackers) at very special summertime prices.
About Wolfgang Candy Company
Founded in 1921, Wolfgang is one of the oldest family-owned and managed confectionery manufacturers in the United States. From peanut brittle to hollow chocolates, Wolfgang offers one of the most extensive arrays of high-quality chocolates and non-chocolate confections available in the marketplace. In addition to the all-natural dark chocolate dipped Raspberries, Blueberries and Cranberries, some of the company�s most popular products include chocolate topped truffle cookies, a wide assortment of solid and hollow molded chocolates � bunnies at Easter and Santa at Christmas, and fine boxed chocolates � chocolate-covered pretzels and animal crackers, chocolate-covered peanut butter marshmallow treats (marshmallow and peanut butter covered in milk or dark chocolate), hand-dipped raisin and peanut clusters, and other assorted milk and dark chocolates.
Wolfgang markets and distributes its products through retail, wholesale (private labeling and contract manufacturing), and fundraising sectors. The company is a market leader in the fundraising industry and a trusted name enabling organizations of any size to achieve their financial goals. With a sole focus on and commitment to its customers, Wolfgang demands unparalleled quality in its products, providing its customers with a truly enchanting experience in taste.
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