STATE COLLEGE — In its 2024 Winter Trends Report, Airbnb listed State College in its top 10 travel destinations for winter. The announcement comes on the heels of the short-term rental platform welcoming its 2 billionth guest arrival.
According to the report, State College falls into the ranks of top trending winter domestic destinations alongside Indianapolis, Indiana, South Bend, Indiana, Blacksburg, Virginia, Oxford, Mississippi, Auburn, Alabama, Iowa City, Iowa, Indio, California, Tacoma, Washington and Lubbock, Texas.
“United States travelers are looking to combine highly anticipated concerts, sports games and cultural festivities with unique stays as passion tourism and the “event-cation” trend continue to drive interest this winter,” Airbnb noted.
This winter, State College has a wide range of both sporting and entertainment events planned.
The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau released the results of a 2022 EConsult Solutions study it had commissioned, revealing that Penn State home football games alone generate around $87 million in visitor spending annually. Additionally, the study noted that Penn State and non-university-related athletic tournaments and events generate an annual economic impact of nearly $417 million within Centre County.
Though some Penn State athletics utilize the Bryce Jordan Center for sporting events, the multipurpose arena also hosts big names, so far featuring headliners Travis Scott, Theo Von, the Harlem Globetrotters, Zach Bryan, Jeff Dunham, Drake, Kacey Musgraves, Lil Yachty, Jelly Roll and Zach Williams this year.
However, in addition to the sports and entertainment industries in Happy Valley, the wealth of outdoor recreation for winter exploration is abundant.
Airbnb noted that while many travelers will look to swap out cold weather for some sun and sand during a winter vacation, access to ski slopes impacts a person’s destination consideration. Though the likes of Big Bear Lake, California, Breckenridge, Colorado, Mammoth Lakes, California, Park City, Utah and Steamboat Springs, Colorado have emerged as some of the top skiing destinations, according to Airbnb, State College’s own Tussey Mountain Ski and Recreation area offers up the opportunity for Happy Valley visitors to spend time on the slopes skiing or snowboarding.
