Philadelphia tourism focuses on local preferences

Philadelphia’s newest tourism campaign is zeroing in on pleasing the locals.

The Philadelphia Neighborhoods campaign, which the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation rolled out on April 5, highlights 14 areas all within a 15-minute walk or ride from Center City hotels that are particularly attractive to visitors.

According to Project Director of Philadelphia Neighborhoods campaign Alethia Calbeck, one of the goals of the project is to “activate visitors and residents to move beyond familiar areas and explore ‘one more block.’”

“It is important to have an engaged, motivated and proud resident population,” she added.

College students and Philadelphia residents alike are encouraged to take advantage of the new initiative and explore the city. According to Calbeck, “whether it’s an out-of-town friend or parent coming to visit, there is an incredible amount of ground to cover.”

The Philadelphia Neighborhoods section of visitphilly.com is an interactive page that allows users to click on icons representing any one of the 14 neighborhoods. Clicking on University City, for instance, brings users to a list of “Can’t Miss Venues” like Penn Park and Distrito.

One section of the page also includes a ranking of top five locations with the most Foursquare “check-ins.” Currently, Pat’s King of Steaks and City Tap House are on the list of “Where People Are Going.”

“We hope [college students] engage with neighborhoods, as well as with our social media initiatives,” Calbeck said.

Besides the site’s existing features, GPTMC’s blog uwishunu.com will expand to include the content, photos and videos from visitphilly.com’s neighborhood section.

Since the campaign launched so recently, Calbeck said that some time is needed before GPTMC can measure the impact on tourism and local visits thus far.

This is not the first time GPTMC used Philadelphia neighborhoods to stimulate tourism. Other neighborhood campaigns by GPTMC include Philly Te Ama, which focuses on Philadelphia Latino culture and With Art Philadelphia, which attracts visitors by promoting visual arts in the city.

Starting with these initiatives, “GPTMC has been uncovering the creative energy happening all over the city for years,” said GPTMC President and CEO Meryl Levitz in a press release.

“And we’re not finished yet,” she said.

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