Visit Philadelphia is continuing to build out marketing plans to attract leisure travelers back to the region by funneling USD 2 million into a new upcoming summer tourism campaign.
The cash influx is an incremental investment, CEO Jeff Guaracino said, and the campaign budget could end up ranging from about USD 2.5 million to USD 2.8 million. The marketing effort will run roughly from Memorial Day through the end of September. Details on specifics will be announced in coming weeks.
Visit Philadelphia increased its budget for the forthcoming summer effort in response to data indicating nearly 80% of people who indicate they are willing to travel are also saying they are definitively planning to travel, Guaracino said. The renewed interest coincides with ongoing expanded availability of Covid-19 vaccines and the approach of summer, when children are out of school and parents are more likely to take time off work.
“The additional dollars we’re spending we believe is a competitive and strategic investment,” Guaracino said. “We’re seeing the research consistently now showing this summer the pent up demand is going to be there,” he added.
The “amount of choice” is a lot for potential travelers to sift through, he noted. Part of Philadelphia’s advantage is that research indicates tourists are gravitating toward last-minute trips, making decisions during the week for getaways that weekend. Of the 120 million domestic trips anticipated to take place this year by Tourism Economics, 10% of those are from people within driving distance to Greater Philadelphia.
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