by Overseas Travelers in 2013

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau Continues to Grow Awareness of PHL as a

World-Class Tourism Destination

Philadelphia, PA  – As a result of efforts by the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB – the official tourist promotion agency of Philadelphia globally) the City drew 673,000 overseas visitors in 2013, marking a 13% increase over the previous year according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI - http://travel.trade.gov/). The increase in visitation also moved Philadelphia up a slot on the list of Top 20 U.S. Cities for Overseas Visitation, climbing from 14th to 13th on this list.

“This increase in overseas visitation is the direct result of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau's (PHLCVB) international consumer marketing and public relations campaign,” said Jack Ferguson, President & CEO, PHLCVB. “Since the launch of international marketing efforts in 2002, we've seen Philadelphia move from 21st to 13th place in ranking of overseas visitation. Our plans are to continue this momentum with new and innovative sales and marketing initiatives, including a focus on emerging target markets.”

Western Europe, Asia and South America are three key world regions driving overseas visits to the U.S. Subsequently, Philadelphia saw substantial increases in arrivals from these regions in 2013. In this same year, Philadelphia International Airport registered an increase in the share of overseas passengers entering the U.S. through Philadelphia (according to OTTI). The PHLCVB will leverage this momentum and continue to focus marketing efforts on these regions while promoting the City as an international hub conveniently located on the East Coast of the U.S. and ideally situated between New York City and Washington, D.C.

Globally, the PHLCVB currently employs five international representation firms. The teams are an extension of the PHLCVB in their specific markets, including the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Germany and India. Along with a newly launched global website –  www.discoverPHL.com, the PHLCVB also offers fully translated websites and international visitor guides in French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and simplified Chinese.

The PHLCVB also travels directly to international events to tell the Philadelphia story. Global sales mission and tradeshow attendance are key in promoting the City of Philadelphia as a world-class destination. In 2013, the PHLCVB led five international sales missions (France, Germany, India, Brazil and Chile) and attended more than 10 international tradeshows and travel conventions.

A notable example of such efforts is the November 2013 joint trade mission to the U.K. Here, Mayor Michael A. Nutter joined PHLCVB and key partners, including Philadelphia International Airport, on a multi-city mission to promote Philadelphia as a global destination for travel, commerce and trade. While in London, Mayor Nutter led a consortium of Philadelphia area travel partners at World Travel Market, a leading international travel industry event that annually draws more than 47,000 travel professionals and journalists from across the globe.

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“Philadelphia is lucky to have such strong leadership from Mayor Nutter who sees the economic impact of

international business, including the business of travel,” said Ferguson. To maximize the impact of Philadelphia's presence in London, the PHLCVB partnered with Brand USA to wrap taxicabs that traveled through the streets of London from November 2014 – January 2015. Philadelphia messaging and images appeared on the exteriors of the cabs as well as on the interior headrests and taxi receipts.

In addition to international marketing, the PHLCVB's global public relations efforts work to create brand awareness of Philadelphia across the globe. The PHLCVB hosts international press tours to the City to generate positive press coverage of an authentic Philadelphia experience. In 2013, over 70 international journalists covering more than eight countries (including France, Italy, Australia, the U.K., Germany, Russia, China and Spain) visited Philadelphia to cover the City as a travel destination. So far this year, the PHLCVB has hosted 38 journalists from six countries (including India, Italy, Qatar, France, Germany, U.K. and the Netherlands) on similar trips.

In 2014, the PHLCVB has ramped up efforts to promote Philadelphia as a global tourism, meeting and convention, education and business hub. In February, the PHLCVB unveiled a new joint attraction campaign “PHL: Here for the Making” positioning the City as a destination where people from all backgrounds can pursue

their own goals and dreams – from the making of a memorable trip, a successful convention, an innovative business venture, or even a new career. Strategic partners in the new campaign include the City of Philadelphia, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Select Greater Philadelphia, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, the African American Chamber of Commerce and Campus Philly.

Taking the “PHL: Here for the Making” message global, the PHLCVB has embarked on several new international outreach missions in 2014. Ferguson and Executive Director of Tourism, Brian Said recently accompanied The Philadelphia Orchestra on their 2014 tour of Asia and China residency to promote Philadelphia as a global destination to audiences in China, Japan and Taiwan. Over the course of three weeks, the delegation traveled to Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tokyo and Taipei to perform for local audiences, meet with tourism officials and share the Philadelphia experience with international audiences. Ferguson and Said met with more than 60 travel trade professionals and international members of the media to further share the message of Philadelphia as a city that is “here for the making” of world-class cultural adventures.

For more information on the global efforts of the PHLCVB or Philadelphia as a global travel destination visit www.discoverPHL.com. For complete details on the joint marketing campaign visit www.makeitPHL.com.

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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 CONTACTS:

Christina Cassidy

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

215-636-4464

Christina@discoverPHL.com