An electronic publication of Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

GPTMC wishes you and your family a joyous holiday season. The December issue of e-Tourism News features the latest news, developments, research and happenings in the region's hospitality community.

This issue's highlights include...

1. Gophila.com Gets A Makeover
2. Philly's Day In USA Today
3. Spending In The Summer Was Up From 2004
4. Philadelphia On Demand
5. Feel The Benergy
6. According To The Press
7. America's Next Great City: The Story Goes On
8. What You See Is What You Get
9. And The Winner Is...
10. Business For Body Worlds is Booming
11. The Squeeze Is On
12. Arts And Culture Rule At Cultural & Heritage Tourism Summit
13. Advertising Can Change Lives
14. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
15. Web Favorites
16. Spotlight On Phoenixville
17. Coming Attractions

With the use of the Internet for trip planning at an all time high (nearly 64 million people in 2004, according to the Travel Industry Association of America), GPTMC made rebuilding our Web site a top priority for 2005. The newly redesigned and reenergized gophila.com is ready to welcome the three million visitors who use it each year. The easy-to-navigate, highly visual site conveys the excitement of Philadelphia and Its Countryside™ through more than 1,500 vibrant images and updated information on more than 5,000 regional attractions.

Additions and enhancements include:

• My Trip – This personal itinerary builder allows visitors to the site to create and print customized vacations.
• Your Philadelphia – Dedicated sections within gophila.com offer information that appeals to different groups of travelers, including couples, families and young adults. The "Diverse Philadelphia" section features interests for African American, Asian, Hispanic and gay and lesbian travelers.
• More Dining and Nightlife Content – Significantly expanded dining and nightlife sections highlight nearly 200 restaurants and bars. Each page features an insider’s tip, nearby attractions and accommodations and related itineraries and photographs.
• About Us – GPTMC’s mission, departmental functions and research information are just a few of the features found in this greatly enhanced section.
• Pressroom – In addition to the region’s latest tourism-related news, members of the media will find hundreds of new photos available for their use, directions about how to obtain b-roll and contact information for the PR staff.

In the coming months, we’ll continue to enhance the site further with more new content, interactive maps and podcasts on the consumer site and RSS (really simple syndication) feeds in the pressroom.

Check out gophila.com for yourself, and let us know what you think.

Manuel N.Stamatakis Meryl Levitz
Chariman President and CEO

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Five hotels, 18 restaurants and 11 shops and attractions were mentioned by name in Gene Sloan’s USA Today story entitled, "From Rocky to Rockin." The star of the November 11 article is the city itself. Sloan writes, "An exploding restaurant scene, newfound nightlife, eclectic shopping and an expansion of the visual and performing arts have catapulted it onto the short list of must-see urban areas." It’s especially interesting to see how Philadelphia’s string of recent high-profile placements influence future stories. USA Today quoted the National Geographic Traveler story, as have several other recent stories. Even the television show The Gilmore Girls referred to the "Sixth Borough" article from the New York Times. USA Today has the highest newspaper circulation in the country, at 2.28 million.

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GPTMC’s summer visitor survey shows a large increase in spending by visitors who came to Philadelphia and Its Countryside™ and stayed in a hotel. Guests spent an average of $722 during their stay, an 11% increase from the $641 they spent last summer. Major increases came from shopping ($134 to $168) and dining ($217 to $236). The survey was based on a sample of 335 visitors who purchased a hotel package on gophila.com between June and September 2005. www.gophila.com/research

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Thanks to a partnership with Comcast Spotlight, Philadelphia is now "on demand." Through April 2006, Comcast digital cable subscribers can go to Video on Demand and click on "Get Local" to watch a 20-minute piece about all there is to see and do in the Philadelphia region, including historic and cultural attractions, performing arts, restaurants, shops, family fun, outdoor activities and more. Traffic to the segment is being built through a 30-second commercial currently airing on Comcast that ends by instructing viewers how to access the information. An estimated 703,000 households subscribe to digital cable. There are 1.1 million digital set–top boxes in the Philadelphia market.

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The countdown to Ben Franklin’s 300 th birthday is on, and the region is feeling the "BENergy." For more information about all-things Ben, visit www.gophila.com/ben. In the meantime, here’s an update on GPTMC’s latest efforts for Franklin.

• Ben’s Birthday Hotel Package: Visitors to Philadelphia can now book Ben’s Birthday Hotel Package on gophila.com/ben. Available any night of the week from December 15, 2005 through April 30, 2005 at 36 hotels, the one- and two-night packages include two tickets to the Benjamin Franklin: In Search of A Better World exhibition, a Little Book of BENefits and more. Additional amenities, including parking, vary by hotel.
• BENergy Brigade: A buzz-building troupe of Ben Franklin and friends will visit area malls and sporting events to promote the Franklin exhibition and related programming. The Brigade will appear in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, New York, Washington D.C. and Boston from December through March.
• BENergy Programming: GPTMC has contracted with Once Upon A Nation, Philadelphia’s storytelling professionals, to develop a Franklin road show, which brings Ben and his Traveling Trunk, family-style salons and 300 birthday parties to sites all over the region.
• Banner on Madison Square Garden: A 100-foot-high ad for the Franklin exhibition will hang off New York’s Madison Square Garden throughout December, making it the third time Philadelphia has advertised in this prime location.
• BF in DC: The trio of GPTMC, the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary and the National Constitution Center did their fourth joint presentation on November 9 to more than a dozen key national media in Washington D.C.

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• "One of America’s best food towns, most interesting architectural and artistic communities, biggest sports cities and most fun college towns, Philadelphia is a first-rate tourist destination all of its own." – Frommers.com (10,331 circulation), October 31, 2005
• "People in Boston are worried about Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love is enticing tourists and others with its history, culture, and neighborhoods as well as its ‘knowledge industry,’ the colleges and universities that help keep the region competitive. In other words, Philadelphia is claiming it has all of Boston’s best traits." – The Boston Globe (451,471 circulation), October 22, 2005
• "The national buzz over Philadelphia’s ground-breaking Internet effort has been great. (‘One of the more ambitious wireless plans on Earth,’ National Geographic Traveler said.) As the mechanics of making the network a reality fall into place, Wireless Philadelphia looks more and more worthy of all the hype." – The Philadelphia Inquirer (357,679 circulation), October 12, 2005
• "Check out the many sculptures and murals during your walk; Philadelphia is known for its public artworks. From now till spring, the city will honor Ben Franklin’s 300 th birthday with ‘Ben Franklin 300 Philadelphia,’ a citywide celebration featuring special exhibits, events, menus and travel deals. The main event – ‘Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World,’ an international traveling exhibit, through April 30, 2006, will open Dec. 15 at the National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street." – New York Newsday (667,971 circulation), October 11, 2005
• "Hey travelgirls, here’s your invitation to a birthday party in the City of Brotherly Love. Benjamin Franklin’s 300 th Birthday Celebration will take over Philadelphia in 2006. Traveling exhibitions will honor this founding father’s tricentennial, and the citywide public birthday bash happens on January 17, 2006." – Travelgirl (75,000 circulation), September/October 2005
• "Go to the City of Brotherly Love...and you’ll find they actually want us there. The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation spent $1 million on an ad campaign to lure lesbian and gay tourists to the city. It worked. After the 14-month campaign, the group found that we came, we saw and we spent! In fact, it seems we spend more money when we stay overnight than our straight counterparts do. For every dollar that was spent to get us to the city, the city’s tourism coffers realized $153 – that’s quite a return on investment." – Bay Area Reporter (35,000 circulation; San Francisco publication), September 22, 2005
• "You’re talking about a great city with a lot of history and culture, with some outstanding sports tradition...You can’t beat the tradition in Philadelphia. It’s a big-league city in every way." – American Way (344,373 circulation), September 1, 2005
• "How about University City...[where] there are surprises around every corner? How about a family outing to the landmarks on campus, the neighborhoods surrounding Penn, and the beat of the western end of the city where life is never dull?" – Burlington County Times (30,000 circulation), August 19, 2005

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The National Geographic Traveler magazine story that named Philadelphia "The Next Great City" continues to live on in a series of articles printed well after the publication hit newsstands in September. Stories appearing around the country recognize how far the city has come in recent years and acknowledge the challenges that lie ahead. As the tourism industry becomes increasingly more competitive, Philadelphia’s need to reinvent itself will continue. To date, more than 190 news stories in the nation’s most read publications, such as the New York Times, USA Today and the Washington Post, have touted Philadelphia’s new "celebrity" status. The exposure is equivalent to $2.5 million in advertising.

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L to R: Valley Forge National Historical Park, Twenty Manning, Independence Square and Love Park

Photos are critical to promoting a travel destination, which is why GPTMC has spent the last 10 years building an extensive image library. Recently, we partnered with the PCVB on an aerial photo and video shoot of Center City. The result? Spectacular shots of Valley Forge, Bucks County, the Philadelphia skyline, City Hall, Penn’s Landing, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Fairmount Park and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, among others.

Taking advantage of the late summer/early fall seasons, GPTMC sent photographers out onto the streets of Philadelphia to capture some great scenes, including outdoor dining in Rittenhouse Square, Wi-Fi users in Love Park, autumn in Independence National Historical Park, the newly expanded DiBruno Brothers, mural arts and more. GPTMC fulfills more than 25 media image requests every month. Recent publications include: Country Living magazine, Ottawa Citizen, Denver Post, Travel Weekly, Philadelphia Business Journal and Philadelphia Style.

To see some of these photos, visit www.gophila.com and click on the Photos & Multimedia link. To request photos, contact Kristen Ciappa at (215) 599-2004 or kristenc@gptmc.com.

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GPTMC Honors

GPTMC has been the proud recipient of several awards and accolades this fall. Here’s a look at some of the honors:

• The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce’s "2005 Small Business Excellence Awards" winner
• Public Relations Society of America’s "Legends Award," given to Meryl Levitz, the fourth recipient in the organization’s 51-year history
• The Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Delaware Valley’s "A Credit To Greater Philadelphia" award, given to Meryl Levitz
• Association of National Advertisers’ "Multicultural Excellence Awards" winner for the gay and lesbian campaign
• Travel Industry Association of America’s "2005 Odyssey Award" finalist in the Travel Marketing-Domestic category for the gay and lesbian campaign. Congratulations to the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, the recipient of the award for their Cabin Fever Month promotion.

Restaurant and Hotel Accolades

Mobil Travel Guide recently announced its 2006 Mobil Four- and Five-Star Award winners, and a few local restaurants and a hotel made the list. Here’s a look:

• Le Bec-Fin (Mobil Five-Star Restaurants)
• Brasserie Perrier (Mobil Four-Star Restaurants)
• Lacroix at the Rittenhouse (Mobil Four-Star Restaurants)
• Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia (Mobil Four-Star Lodging)

AAA also awarded its coveted Five Diamond distinctions for hotels and restaurants across the country. Local recipients of this distinctive honor in the restaurant category include the Fountain Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia and Le Bec-Fin. Hotel winners were the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, The Rittenhouse, The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia. For a complete list of those that received Four Diamond honors, visit www.aaa.com/diamonds.

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Since Body Worlds: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies opened at The Franklin Institute on October 7, 2005, business has been booming. In fact, 80,006 visitors toured the exhibit as of November 18, which is 59% ahead of the original projection. The Franklin Institute has already sold 75,000 tickets through the run of the show, closing on April 23. GPTMC is supporting the popular exhibition nationally through advertising online and in Discover Magazine. There’s additional advertising, largely a mix of print and outdoor media, running in Philadelphia, New York and Boston through December. To purchase tickets or to book the Body Worlds hotel package, vist gophila.com/bodyworlds or call (877) 801-BODY (2639).

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In Hotel-room Squeeze, an October 26, 2005 article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Tom Belden reported on the effect Center City Philadelphia’s condominium boom has had on hotels. Many developers are converting hotels to condos, in turn increasing hotel room occupancy and room rates. According to Belden, the hotel room count is down 10% from 2002, though the demand is expected to increase 25% with the planned expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The article cites industry experts who predict the future of hotel room development will be hotel-condo combinations in the same building.

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More than 400 cultural, heritage, arts, tourism and government leaders from all 50 states converged in Washington, D.C. from October 6-8, 2005 to participate in the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Summit. The goal of the event was to chart a strategy for cultural & heritage tourism for the next five years. Appointed by Governor Rendell as official delegates for Pennsylvania were: Mickey Rowley, Pennsylvania’s deputy secretary for tourism; Lenwood Sloan, director of cultural & heritage tourism, Pennsylvania Tourism Office; and Meryl Levitz, president & CEO, GPTMC. As an outgrowth of the summit, a position paper and declaration endorsed by the delegates has been formulated to help states put strategies in place to expand and sustain cultural and heritage tourism. www.pcah.gov/2005SummitEvents.htm

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Village Coffee House

Think advertising can’t inspire? Gary Tidmore and Brett Collier of Wisconsin are proof that it does. After seeing GPTMC’s ad campaign geared towards the gay market, Tidmore and Collier booked a trip here. Within weeks of the visit, they quit their jobs in Wisconsin and purchased the Mean Bean Cafe, now known as the Village Coffee House, located at 1112 Locust Street. Now, they can get their history straight and their nightlife gay any time they please.

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Packing light, staying safe and buying the right luggage are just a few of the topics covered in the premiere issue of Women's Travel, the first publication dedicated solely to travel for women. Making its debut in November 2005, the bi-monthly magazine is available in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Chicago, Omaha, Washington D.C., Honolulu, London, Paris, Tokyo and New York. www.womenstravelmagazine.com

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Keep these useful Web site addresses as favorites. We’ll feature others in future editions of e-Tourism News.

• www.gophila.com – Redesigned and reenergized, gophila.com is now more than ever the place to go for all of your Philadelphia region trip planning needs.
• www.ipodsubwaymaps.com – Site allows you to download Septa services map to your iPod Photo.
• www.aaafuelgaugereport.com – This site is the place to go for the latest fuel prices and gas information.

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During the height of America’s steel dominance, Phoenixville emerged as a major hub for the Southeast Pennsylvania industrial region, attracting many iron and steel companies. The Chester County town enjoyed its position as a strong economic force for 100 years until the mid-20 th century when the American segment of the industry diminished. But, after 30 years of difficult times, Phoenixville is waking up from its hibernation. Massive projects are in the works to lure restaurants, live music venues, shops, galleries and luxury lofts to Phoenixville’s compact downtown, renamed "The Iron District." Construction crews buzz inside dozens of historic buildings, reinventing them as lively entertainment destinations, with an Iron Hill Brewery, a 650-seat venue for national musical acts and a Southern Blues club among the most notable. Behind these facades also lie new clothing and gift boutiques, beauty salons, BYOB restaurants and a gourmet cheese shop.

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The holidays are upon us, and the following events and exhibitions promise to help drive tourism demand:

• November 24, 2005-January 8, 2006: Christmas in Longwood Gardens, Longwood Gardens, www.longwoodgardens.org
• November 25-December 31, 2005: Holiday Garden Railway Display, Morris Arboretum, www.business-services.upenn.edu/arboretum
• November 25, 2005-Januray 8, 2006: A Brandywine Christmas, Brandywine River Museum, www.brandywinemuseum.org
• December 2-31, 2005: The Nutcracker as performed by the Pennsylvania Ballet, Academy of Music, www.paballet.org www.philadanco.org
• December 16-18, 2005: Xmas Philes, The Kimmel Center,
• December 28-31, 2005: Mummersfest, Pennsylvania Convention Center, www.mummersstrut.com
• December 31, 2005: New Year’s Eve Fireworks Display, Delaware River Waterfront
• January 1, 2006: The Mummers Parade, Broad Street, (215) 893-1999, www.phillymummers.com

Mummers Parade

e-TourismNews is produced by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, building the region's economy and image through destination marketing that increases the number of visitors, the number of nights they stay and the number of things they do in the five-county region.Want to use this information? Feel free to use the stories in this newsletter to communicate with your own stakeholders. You can easily copy and paste this information into your own publications - but please attribute it to GPTMC.

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