Philadelphia Welcomed 620,000 Overseas Visitors in 2014, Saw Increase in Visitors from Asia

Philadelphia, PA – June 22, 2015 – According to data released this month by the U.S. Department of Commerce/National Travel and Tourism Office (http://travel.trade.gov), the length of time overseas travelers stayed in the Philadelphia region overnight in 2014 increased by 14.2 percent over 2013. Average visitor spend per stay also increased by 10 percent, generating $578 million for the local economy. Philadelphia attracted 620,000 overseas visitors last year, the majority of whom were leisure travelers, with dramatic growth seen in the number of visitors from Asia, a 14.2 percent overall increase. Chinese visitors increased 52 percent over 2013 to 61,000 and Japanese visitors increased 40 percent to 21,000, despite an overall decrease in Japanese visitors to the U.S. While most overseas visitors to Philadelphia still came from the U.K. (87,000), the growth in Asian visitors marks an important achievement for the city.

“Outbound tourism from Asia, to the U.S. is growing rapidly, especially from China. Despite Philadelphia being the largest market in the U.S. without direct air service from Asia Pacific, we experienced significant growth,” said Jack Ferguson, President & CEO, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB). “In March this year, to capitalize on this growing market and increase our share, the PHLCVB opened an office in Beijing, in addition to appointing a new senior international tourism sales manager, initiatives which have all contributed to moving the needle in this very important market.”

As the official tourism agency that promotes Philadelphia internationally, the PHLCVB employs six representation firms covering 10 markets which include the U.K, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, India and China. In addition to international sales and marketing efforts, the PHLCVB also relies on robust global public relations outreach within those markets to grow awareness of Philadelphia as a world-class tourism destination. In 2014, the PHLCVB hosted 68 journalists from 11 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, Ireland, Qatar, United Kingdom, and the U.S.) to showcase the city's assets and ultimately generate future visitation.

The PHLCVB also travels directly to international tradeshows to tell the Philadelphia story. In 2014, the PHLCVB led six international sales missions (Brazil, China, France, Germany/Switzerland, India, Japan) and attended 10 international tradeshows and travel conventions in addition to outreach directly to tour operators in the key markets.

With the World Meeting of Families and Papal visit taking place in Philadelphia this September, the PHLCVB has been leveraging the global spotlight to further promote the city. More than one million visitors are expected, with a significant portion of those visitors coming from overseas, which is projected to increase international visitation in 2015 significantly.

“The World Meeting of Families and the Papal visit are prime opportunities to showcase Philadelphia's rich history, culture and diversity, and our team at the PHLCVB has been using this occasion as a platform to engage international media and grow awareness of our city as a world-class tourism destination,” said Ferguson.

To learn more about PHLCVB's work in the international markets, visit www.discoverPHL.com/international.

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Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), www.discoverPHL.com, a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the City of Philadelphia globally, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center. The PHLCVB competes with its counterparts worldwide for convention and tourism business. The organization has departments dedicated to the multicultural, sports, and life sciences markets. The PHLCVB incorporates the short code PHL, an open source graphic identifier for the City of Philadelphia into the Convention & Visitors Bureau brand identity. The graphic identifier and other assets for use by public, private and non-profit organizations can be found at www.PHLpartners.com.

Media Contact:
Khaila Edward
202.203.8279
khaila@discoverphl.com