Philadelphia tourism inches upward

Hospitality industry is optimistic for next year as new hotels open and convention center expands.

Philadelphia’s Tourism industry is breathing a sigh of relief after getting the summer travel reports.

Reports say Center City hotel occupancy from Memorial Day to Labor Day averaged 75 percent, up three points from a year ago, despite the heat. Merill Levitz is head of the Convention and Tourism Bureau. She says Philadelphia has been attracting more than just conventioneers.

“In an economy like this we actually do a little better and of course we concentrate our marketing effort on the quarter of the country’s population that is within a five-hour drive of Philly.”

Levitz says with the expanded convention center set to host its first show in the spring and two new hotels opening up, the region’s tourism industry is feeling positive.