The Lehigh Valley was featured as a stop on a tour of international visitors seeking to learn more about America’s economy and politics and how they relate in an election year.
Political Tours brought 11 travelers from Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom to Bethlehem on Oct. 31. Political Tours is a travel company based in the United Kingdom dedicated to news and current affairs, providing a platform for people to view and understand politics. The company was founded by former New York Times correspondent Nicholas Wood and tours are led by journalists. 
Don Cunningham, President and CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC), spoke to the group over lunch at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.
He explained how over the last quarter century, the Lehigh Valley has built a growing, diverse economy where manufacturing remains a significant force, representing 16% of the region’s $50 billion Gross Domestic Product. Products made in Lehigh Valley include semiconductors and other technology, medical and life sciences devices, food and beverages, consumer goods, and many others.
Jobs are at record highs, unemployment is low, and median household income exceeds the state and national averages. There are job opportunities – multiple opportunities, in most cases – for people of all skill and education levels, Cunningham said.
“By an economic story measure, the Lehigh Valley should really be fully feeling good about things,” he said.
The Political Tours group included people with backgrounds in business startups, real estate, education, healthcare, law, and finance. They asked pointed and engaging questions about the Lehigh Valley and how the economy could be influenced by the presidential election.
Cunningham, a former Bethlehem Mayor and Lehigh County Executive, said the Lehigh Valley economy has prospered under presidents of both parties, benefitting from its location within a day’s drive of one-third of U.S. consumers, and a skilled, growing workforce.
The region looks to federal leaders to provide economic stability and invest in infrastructure, he said. Assistance to help grow targeted sectors, such as semiconductors, is welcome and helpful. Semiconductor developer and manufacturer Infinera recently announced plans to build a second facility in Lehigh Valley, with funding from the federal CHIPS and Science Act.
“Political Tours prides itself on getting its clients under the skin of the countries it visits. In response to high demand for trips to observe the 2024 U.S. election, we are fielding three simultaneous tours to battleground states,” said Malcolm Brown, the journalist leading the tour, which also visited Virginia and Washington, D.C. “Given the closeness of the presidential race and Pennsylvania’s potentially decisive impact, it was clear that the state had to be on the schedule and that the Lehigh Valley would be an essential stop."