Gov. Josh Shapiro talks tourism while fishing at Lake Wallenpaupack

Since Gov. Josh Shapiro’s launch of the state’s new tourism brand, the Great American Getaway, nearly a week ago at PNC Field, the governor and his family have traveled in an RV to roll out the brand, like something out of a reality TV show. The brand tour, which will stop at 50 locations in 14 counties across Pennsylvania, landed them on a fishing boat in the midst of shimmering Lake Wallenpaupack on a picture-perfect Saturday morning.

The family’s fishing trip preceded one of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s three free fishing days Sunday that waive the usual regulation; normally, all 16-year-olds require licensure to fish on public waterways.

“You should have been here a few minutes ago,” the governor joked as he warmly reached his hand out to introduce himself aboard the boat. “I just had a 40-inch fish on the line.”

The governor, dressed casually in shorts and a T-shirt, the first lady, Lori, and their four children, along with a few aides meandered around the fishing boat in the warm sun as the governor, in an exclusive interview, answered questions about the Great American Getaway, and how it relates to some of the state’s needs and interests.

Q: What makes the Great American Getaway brand different from previous Pa. tourism campaigns?

A: This (campaign) focuses on all of our amazing attributes that people can come and experience in a weekend, a long weekend, a four-day trip. We’ve got everything from outdoor recreation, like here, Lake Wallenpaupack, to fine dining, and some of our cities and communities, to historic sites, outdoor trails. I mean, we’ve got it all. And it’s something we really want to highlight. In addition, it’s big business for Pennsylvania — $77 billion annually we generate from tours. That’s a big deal.

Q: New York had “I Love New York,” Florida had “When you need it bad, we’ve got it good,” and the Poconos had “Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge.” Is Pennsylvania going to get its own jingle?

A: We’re beginning our marketing campaign with an American Getaway. We’ve got a great ad that’s running on TV, you’ll see it a little bit here in Pa., but you’re really going to see it in our neighboring states like New York and New Jersey.

A big reason for that is that 75 million Americans who can come experience the beauty of this lake and keep coming, stay in one of our great inns and enjoy one of our great restaurants and crowd our bars and it’s just going to be great for them to know that Pennsylvania is open for business and a wonderful place to be.

Q: Will the Great American Getaway focus on some of Pa.’s less traditional tourism outlets such as breweries, the Amish culture, comedy?

A: Absolutely. In fact, tomorrow, we’ll be at the Bucks County Playhouse, which is a great venue for small shows and comedy acts. In fact, Lori and I saw a comedy show out there a couple months ago, we saw three writers of “The Daily Show.” We have great access to incredible talent right here, homegrown in Pennsylvania. And those who want to get here because they know this is just an awesome place to be.

Q: Will cannabis legalization factor or be part of the tourism initiative?

A: I’m working on that right now. I support it, as you well know. And I’m calling out the Legislature to act. Vetting is a process we’re going to have to go through to get some of the members comfortable with the issue. I think it’s an issue of not only freedom and liberty, but really economic competitiveness. All of our neighboring states have legalized cannabis, nearly all, except West Virginia, and so it’s critically important that we keep up and we compete, as well. And we believe it can generate a quarter billion dollars a year.

Q: Being outdoors, fishing, hiking, boating, swimming, enjoying all the raw beauty that Pennsylvania has to offer is great for mental health. It’s even good for caregivers who are experiencing postpartum depression. Do you expect the Great American Getaway brand to have unexpected positive side benefits such as improving the mental health of tourists and residents?

A: I sure do. I talk about this a lot. I’m a big fan of our trails in Pennsylvania. My wife, Lori, our first lady and I love to get out and walk on the trails. And I always say, I’m not a doctor, so this is not meant as medical advice, if you will. But I think it lowers your blood pressure. I think it helps you relax. I think it puts you in a position where you can really, you know, enjoy the beauty outside and get great health benefits from it. Listen, this is a moment where a lot of people are struggling but now, especially our kids, the more outdoor recreation we do, the greater the benefit for their mental health.

Q: Does the expanded rail service from Scranton to New York City tie into the Great American Getaway brand?

A: I’m working closely with congressmen, and Sen. (Bob) Casey on that. And as you all know, from the recent announcement we made, we sort of satisfied the next step in the funding process and the studies are really good about getting this done. We are working closely with (U.S. Rep.) Matt (Cartwright) to bring our redirect when you look at tourism. Our built-in infrastructure, our transportation is absolutely critical. For big events, like what we’re going to experience in 2026, our 250th anniversary of this nation, and half the World Cup, NFL draft, Major League Baseball All Star Game to smaller events where people need to be able to get around by car, by rail, or by boat.

Q: The Poconos are a historic aspect of Pa. tourism. Does the Poconos and its related history tie into this initiative?

A: There’s a reason why we launched the great American Getaway in the Poconos on Friday.

Q: OK, so that sounds like a yes. You’re a sort of “Republican broom” with a history of sweeping out and beating Republicans in election after election. Why do you think that might be?

A: I just try to focus on common sense stuff that unites people. The mantra of our administration is three letters — GSD, get stuff done. Some people use a different word for the “s” in there. I think that’s what people want — Democratic, Republican, Independent — they just want their leaders to get something for them every day. I don’t expect everybody to agree with every position I have. That’s okay. I probably don’t agree with every position they have. And that’s what makes the world go round; to have a good-spirited, honest, respectable debate, and then today, we’ve got to compromise. We’ve got to get stuff done. And that’s what we’re focused on in my administration.

Q: When you ran for state representative back in 2004, your campaign focused on better health care access and education funding. Health care access has definitely improved, although autism services are still in need across the state; there’s a challenge there. And we do have a lot of local schools that are severely underfunded. As a parent of four, that can’t sit right with you. Will tourism help boost school funding?

A: Let me, if I can, answer both parts of your question, first on autism.

Mental health, autism, intellectual disabilities, the IDA community, that is a huge issue for me. When I was state rep, we got an initial $10 million investment to focus on autism. As governor, we’ve done two really significant concrete things; three actually. One is, making sure we have true mental health parity. So, if you have private insurance, and you break your leg, God forbid, you’re gonna get a cast on that. Well, if you need to go see your therapist, you should be able to have access to see your therapist. True parity between physical health and mental health, and we’ve done that. In addition to that, we’ve characterized autism as a mental health issue instead of a physical health issue, opening up more insurance coverage services for families, all across Pennsylvania. And then finally, when it comes to the IDA community, I’ve proposed the largest increase of 5.5 billion dollars to get over 1500 people off the waiting list for getting autism services. And to make sure that those who are providing care have the ability to get paid a livable wage to provide that care. So this is something I started on as a state rep, and now we want to keep going.

Q: What would you say to people through Lackawanna, Pike, Monroe counties and beyond who are experiencing growing pains, as roads like I-80 expand to make room to accommodate tourism and economic growth, people who are losing their backyards and losing their properties?

A: In general, you’re always needing to balance the need of having enough infrastructure to get people around and not have people sitting in traffic with protecting property rights. Obviously, when property rights are taken, there’s a payment made to that land owner. But I understand that’s only part of it. So, we need to make sure that there’s a constant balance. PennDOT works very hard to find that balance, and we know that here as more people are coming to the Poconos, more tourists and others, we’ve got to make sure that we continue that balance.

Q: Hunting is a big part of tourism here. Do you see deer hunting expanding from the current three Sundays that hunters are currently allowed?

A: That’s something that we’re listening to both sides of the issue there and trying to find some common ground, and see what we can do to make sure that there’s access to more hunting but still really be respectful of people’s Sundays and their time for prayer.

Q: How does managing situations like the Keystone Landfill expansion align with keeping the state’s new tourism brand promises?

A: First off, Keystone Landfill has to follow the rules, and when they didn’t, the D.E.P. fined them quite significantly. We want to make sure that any industry here in Pennsylvania is out there following the laws and doing the right thing by their neighbors, if they’re good corporate citizens. As for any expansion, we’re going to care deeply about any impact any expansion would have on homeowners, on residents, on tourism. It’s such an important part of the economy here, and we’ve got to protect it.

Q: Your dad was a Navy medic.

A: That’s correct.

Q: You may have him and our other service members in mind ahead of Memorial Day. Do you have anything to say to our veterans?

A: Well, look, I feel blessed. My dad is still with us. There are many places where there’s an empty seat at the table, and has been for quite some time. And on Memorial Day, we’ve got to recognize not just those who lost their lives, but the families who have that empty seat at the table. Lori and I keep our nearly 1 million veterans in our prayers every day. And we also obviously keep active duty service men and women in our prayers. And finally, we keep in our prayers, those who lost a loved one, those who have that hole that sits in their stomach, that just kind of never goes away. And so we’ll be taking some extra prayers on Monday. I hope that Pennsylvanians in between barbecuing and getting out, and they should enjoy themselves, that they take a minute and recognize the importance of the day, and why Memorial Day matters. I’ve ordered all flags in the commonwealth to be flown at half staff in order to make people look up and recognize the importance of the day that should cause them to pause and remember.