Blair County public hearing on decertifying Explore Altoona draws strong objections from tourism and business leaders

Blair County held a public hearing April 24, 2025, on a proposed resolution to decertify the county’s current tourism and promotion agency, Explore Altoona. County solicitor Chris Furman opened the hearing, entered legal notices and municipal resolutions into the record, and repeatedly said the commissioners would not vote at this session; the hearing only recorded public comments for consideration at a future public meeting.

The hearing drew multiple objections from tourism officials, hoteliers and local cultural groups who said Explore Altoona has successfully marketed Blair County and that decertification would disrupt summer marketing efforts. Mark Ickes, executive director of Explore Altoona, described himself as “an objector to this decertification” and told the commission his agency’s work has contributed to what he said is $371,000,000 in annual visitor spending for Blair County. “Explore Altoona has transformed itself into an effective and functional destination marketing organization,” Ickes said. He and other speakers criticized the process as lacking transparency and said they had not been given details about any proposed replacement or redirection of promotional funds.

Why this matters: hotel-tax-funded tourism promotion typically focuses on “putting heads in beds,”…