New national campaign celebrates Bethlehem as a year round destination
- USA Today nominated Bethlehem’s Main Street as the best in America
- Vote daily through April 6 at votemainstreetbethlehem.com
- A new “Our Star Shines All Year Round” campaign will support Bethlehem tourism
Bethlehem, PA (March 9, 2026) – Downtown Bethlehem business owners are celebrating their Main Street’s second USA Today nomination as one of America’s Best Main Streets. USA Today made the announcement at noon on Monday. Main Street’s newest business owner, Brianna Lasko of Lovely by Brianna, cast the first vote. She said, “Bethlehem is the best, no doubt about that. Our town won last year and with community support, we know we can win again.” The public can vote daily through April 6 at votemainstreetbethlehem.com.
A new marketing initiative will support the Best Main Street Campaign
Just before the USA Today announcement, Kelly Ronalds, the General Manager at Historic Hotel Bethlehem, Main Street’s cornerstone property, announced the hotel’s marketing team created a new national promotional campaign that will benefit the entire city. She said, “While Bethlehem is well-known as ‘The Christmas City,’ we want the world to know that Historic Bethlehem has wonderful experiences to unwrap all year long.” Potential visitors will see the slogan “Our Star Shines All Year Round” along with the official Visit Historic Bethlehem logo in digital and print marketing.
“Our Star Shines All Year Round” limited edition merchandise is available
For those who want to share their shining Bethlehem spirit, merchandise featuring the slogan will be available at the Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe on Main Street. Limited edition t-shirts feature gold print on a black background.
Historic Hotel Bethlehem leads Bethlehem’s destination marketing efforts
This is the second year the Historic Hotel Bethlehem team is leading Best Main Street marketing outreach. In addition to creating the new campaign and merchandise, the hotel’s marketing and PR teams are partnering with the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce to conduct digital outreach and a boots-on-the-ground effort to distribute voting marketing materials to local businesses. “The hotel was founded as a community hotel and community has always been central to our values.”
This new campaign builds on prior national destination marketing initiatives which the Historic Hotel Bethlehem team created. In 2019, the hotel branded Historic Bethlehem with a national campaign that focused on the city’s rich history and charming Main Street. The campaign tagline, “Authentic colonial history on a top 10 Main Street” generated millions of impressions and increased visitation.
In addition to creating fresh destination marketing efforts that benefit the entire region, Historic Hotel Bethlehem also recently refreshed its own brand. In 2025, the hotel updated its marketing to encourage visitors to visit, “A Luxury Historic Destination Hotel adjacent to America’s 26th UNESCO World Heritage Site.”
Ronalds said, “It’s important for us to not only promote the hotel but also to promote Historic Bethlehem as a destination. We want travelers from across the region and across the country to see that Bethlehem’s star really does shine bright all year,” said Ronalds.
