Two decades of marketing paying off for Philadelphia tourism

A new report shows some good news for the tourism business in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia region brought in 37.4 million domestic visitors in 2010. Overnight stays were up by 10 percent over the previous year.

Meryl Levitz, President of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation, said it has taken two decades of advertising to boost those numbers.

“20 years ago people talked about Philadelphia as if it were a distressed property,” said Levitz. “Now they are talking about it as a discovery destination and a city that has come a long way and has shown it’s resilience during a recession and is on the move in directions even the population of the city has increased for the first time in a number of years.”

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Levitz said the city will continue to market itself as a tourist destination, with a $1.4 million summer campaign.

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