State wants tourists to follow call of the wild

Tourism is second only to agriculture in the state.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pennsylvania tourism officials want people to go elk watching in Elk County as part of a campaign to promote the state's second-largest industry.
The county in the north-central part of the state is home to a free-roaming herd of about 800 elk that graze over 800 square miles. Elk watchers can spot a full-grown male elk, called a bull, standing up to 60 inches at the shoulder and weighing up to 1,000 pounds.
"You go to any of about 12 interpretive viewing stations that overlook areas where elk come. These places are marked. You can pull your car over. There are kiosks that give you the history of the herd," said J. Mickey Rowley, the state's deputy secretary for tourism.
Rowley makes Elk County in October sound like a bar scene.
"You'll see the males rounding up the harem. That's when the males fight with their antlers against other males. It's when their antlers are at their longest," Rowley said.
Promoting tourism
At the state's annual Tourism Day celebration in Harrisburg last week, Gov. Ed Rendell emphasized the importance of the tourism industry, which is second only to agriculture, bringing in $34 billion a year and providing 563,000 jobs. "Travel and tourism are vital to Pennsylvania's economy," Rendell told a crowd of 150 who work for tourism firms and visitor attractions throughout the state.
The "Pennsylvania Wild" campaign is trying to bring visitors to heavily forested but sparsely populated counties in the state, as opposed to already-popular sites such as Gettysburg, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Amish country in central Pennsylvania and Fallingwater southeast of Pittsburgh.
Using TV, radio and print advertising, the Pennsylvania Wilds campaign will outline four road trips that motorists can take through different parts of the state. Improved road signs should make it easier for motorists to find their way around.
Locations of road trips
One route is called "River Roadways" and features roads leading from Pittsburgh to the Laurel Highlands, Johnstown, Altoona and State College.
The three other road trips include "Dutch Country" around Lancaster, Hershey, Gettysburg, Harrisburg and Reading; the "Road to Revolution" hits historic sites in Philadelphia and Valley Forge; and a scenic drive along Route 6 through the northern tier counties from the Poconos to the Allegheny National Forest.
Rendell said the state plans to give out $500,000 grants to help visitor attractions market themselves.
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