SRU professor shares travel expertise for New Year’s holiday
New Year’s Eve is one of the most popular holidays for travel and tourism, according to Mary Jo Ross, a Slippery Rock University associate professor of hospitality, event management and tourism.
Dec. 23, 2019
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — New Year's Eve is one of the most popular holidays for going out on the town. According to WalletHub, a personal finance website, more than three quarters of Americans ring in the New Year away from home. When the site looked for experts to contribute to its "Best Places for New Year's Eve Celebrations" feature, they tapped Mary Jo Ross, a Slippery Rock University associate professor of hospitality, event management and tourism. For the piece, Ross shared money-saving tips.
"New Year's Eve has always been a popular travel holiday because there are so many different cultures that celebrate a new start," Ross said. "It's been a popular holiday for families and engagements and it's always involved good food and destinations. There are some holidays that are very family-oriented, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but when you get to New Year's Eve, it's more of a party and a celebration, so people are willing to go out to places like New York City to see the ball drop."
A native of Butler, Ross has spent her entire 40-year career as an event producer and the last 18 years as a professor at the University of Central Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University before returning home to join the faculty at SRU in fall 2019.
ROSS
"New Year's Eve is one of the biggest dining-out holidays as well," Ross said. "It brings people together to share fine foods and champagne, all of which leads up to ringing in the New Year."
New York City was ranked the best city for New Year's Eve travel based on a WalletHub survey that looked at three criteria: entertainment and food; costs; and safety and accessibility. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh ranked Nos. 10 and 31, respectively.
More than 112 million Americans will travel at least 30 miles from home for the New Year's Eve/Day holiday, according to WalletHub.
Ross designed a new course that she will be teaching at SRU in spring 2020 called Food and Beverage.
"I'm interested in the tourism industry and making sure that we have good leaders, and I know that the students at SRU will help our industry a lot," Ross said. "That's why I wanted to come here and share my expertise and experiences I've had over the years in order to help our program grow."
For more information about the Hospitality, Event Management and Tourism Department, including the resort recreation and hospitality management program, click here.
MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Zackal | 724.738.4854 | justin.zackal@sru.edu