Improving a Region’s
Economy through a
Landmark
Fallingwater is a destination site
and tourism anchor in
Pennsylvania. This year, Travel
and Leisure magazine singled out the
Frank Lloyd Wright masterwork as its
defining destination for our state.
Visitation at this world-famous
building has grown to 145,000
visitors annually, making it one of the
top 10 most visited house museums
in America. Because of this,
Fallingwater is an economic driver in
the region and continues to be a
major employer, with a staff of more
than 125 people.
“Fallingwater continues to be one
of the region’s signature attractions as
it draws a record number of visitors
from across the United States and
abroad,” said Annie Urban, Executive
Director of the Laurel Highlands
Visitors Bureau. “The economy of the
Laurel Highlands region is positively
impacted by these visitors as many
stay in our accommodations, dine in
our restaurants and visit other attractions
including Frank Lloyd Wright’s
Kentuck Knob and the Duncan
House. These cultural travelers are
important to the region, because
statistically they tend to stay longer in
an area and spend more than any
other travel audience segment.”
More than 73 percent of
Fallingwater’s visitors travel at least
four hours (one way) to visit the house
and include international travelers
from Canada, France, Italy, Japan and
Russia, just to name a few. These
long-distance travels often translate
into overnight stays for the region.
The Laurel Highlands Visitors
Bureau estimates that Fallingwater
has an annual economic impact of
$30 million in the region in tourism
alone, generating approximately
100,000 room night stays every year
for the Laurel Highlands and the
surrounding region.
Factoring in the additional impact
of other Fallingwater activities including
payroll, supplies and other
contracts, the total impact of
Fallingwater on the region’s economy
is even greater.