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Philadelphia Tourism Industry Shows 10-Year Growth
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation Announces 2007 Visitor Data And Strategies To Stay Competitive Now
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2007, the Greater Philadelphia
region set a new record in the tourism industry by welcoming 30 million
visitors. A new report released today by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism
Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) also shows that in the past decade there has
been 36% growth in total visitation, and overnight leisure travel soared by
63%.
GPTMC's 2007 Visitor Volume Report includes data from Longwoods
International, PKF Consulting, Tourism Economics and Smith Travel Research. A
summary of the report is available for free at gophila.com/research. Here are
some highlights:
-- 30 million people visited Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Montgomery and
Chester counties. This figure marks a record number of travelers to the
Philadelphia region. Visitors came from every U.S. state, with the most
hailing from the Mid-Atlantic and South-Atlantic regions.
-- The Greater Philadelphia hospitality industry has been growing for 10
years. There were four million more overnight leisure visitors sleeping over
in 2007 than there were before the region's first advertising campaign began
in 1997. This represents a 63% increase, going from 6.5 million leisure
visitors staying overnight to 10.5 million people last year.
-- In 2007, Center City hotel occupancy was healthy at 74.1%, among the
best in 18 years.
Meryl Levitz, GPTMC president and CEO, announced the findings at a meeting
of the region's hospitality industry who gathered for a presentation by Roger
Dow, president and CEO of the Travel Industry Association (TIA), on the trends
and challenges that are impacting the global travel industry over the next
year. Levitz addressed how GPTMC will respond to the challenges.
"More visitors are important because the money they spend is immediately
returned to our local economy through jobs, tax revenues and consumer spending
at our shops, attractions, hotels and restaurants," said Levitz. "As we know,
2008 will not be as bright as 2007."
To keep ahead of the new economic challenges and changes in travelers'
behaviors, GPTMC will adjust its advertising, communications, Web, social
media and other marketing strategies. GPTMC will continue the Philly's More
Fun(TM) branding campaign, launched in 2006, that promotes the destination as
historic, affordable, accessible, discoverable and authentic. In addition,
over the next year, Levitz said that GPTMC will:
-- Launch seasonal tourism marketing campaigns during the times hotels
need the business most. The campaigns will focus on advertising, Web and media
relations that show the many ways visitors can discover their own fun. The
advertising campaigns will offer a retail component through value-added hotel
offers, such as the Philly Overnight(R) Hotel Package with free hotel parking.
-- Run a series of exhibition-based tourism marketing campaigns
highlighting those "Only-in-Philadelphia," "limited-engagement" or
"blockbuster" events such as Galileo, Medici and the Age of Astronomy; Cézanne
and Beyond; and America I AM: The African American Imprint, all debuting in
2009.
-- Place a greater focus on the vibrant towns in the four counties
neighboring Philadelphia to expand the visitor experience, to increase their
stays here and to encourage repeat visitation.
-- Expand gophila.com, the region's award-winning visitor Web site, with
new mobile application technology, including travel-purchase capabilities and
new content, photos and videos. uwishunu.com's blog posts, itineraries, videos
and technology will be incorporated into gophila.com to make it an even more
valuable 24-hour, seven-days-a-week travel information source.
-- Expand GPTMC's cultural and diversity tourism marketing campaigns to
reach a wider array of visitors through customized outreach that allows them
to discover their own Philadelphia and The Countryside(R) experience.
Visitors to the Philadelphia region spend $9.3 billion per year, about
$25.5 million a day. The Philadelphia hospitality industry employs 88,225
people throughout the five-county region. And tourism generates $1.3 billion
in state, local and federal taxes.
Founded in 1996 by the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania and The Pew Charitable Trusts, GPTMC focuses on promoting the
five-county region as a premier destination through marketing and image
building.
The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes
Philadelphia and The Countryside(R) a premier destination through marketing
and image building that increases business and promotes the region's vitality.
For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit gophila.com or
uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see
photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to
HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region;
book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center,
located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.
SOURCE Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation
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