Philly tourism is likely to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels this year, officials say

Philadelphia’s tourism organizations expect business and leisure travelers to return to the city in pre-pandemic numbers within the next year.

With 20 citywide conventions and 165 events booked for this year, Visit Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau anticipate hotel revenue for both Center City and Philadelphia County to surpass 2019 numbers by about 4%, exceeding $746 million in Center City and $918 million in the county.

Angela Val, president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia, and Gregg Caren, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, said in an interview last week, that the city’s tourism industry has almost fully rebounded from the financial hammering it took during the pandemic when social distancing and travel restrictions kept people home.

But it’s not quite there yet, they said, which prompted the groups to join forces on a new $6.5 million joint marketing campaign as they work to meet those 2023 expectations.

“We are well on our way,” Val said. “In ‘22, we began the year with another variant, and it did interrupt what we thought would be this kind of buildup, transition year, which has really now become ‘23. But we do anticipate that we will back to where we were [pre-pandemic] and surpass that by the end of this year.”

“In 2024, we would expect to have what we would classify as a normal or pre-pandemic year,” Caren said.

Once COVID fears and restrictions eased in 2021, vacationers were the first to return to Philadelphia, as was the case nationwide. People were ready to get out of their houses, where they’d been holed up for months, and some had extra money to spend.

Business and group travel, meanwhile, have taken longer to rebound. But those sectors also show signs of an upswing, Caren said.

This year, Philadelphia is set to host 20 citywide conventions, events that will use several venues and bring in guests to multiple hotels, he said. That’s an increase from the 19 citywide conventions hosted in 2019, the last full pre-pandemic year. The number of total hotel room nights sold for these conventions still lags due to lower attendance at conferences, he said, though he anticipates that returning to pre-pandemic numbers in the coming year, too.

“There is no question that the remote work environment has changed the dynamic quite a bit,” Caren said. “But I think what we’re seeing on the meeting and convention side is the demand and the desire for people to actually interact face-to-face, both the social elements of it and the ability to conduct business and share information and knowledge.”

Conventions and vacations aren’t the only factors in increasing visits to Philly.

The Phillies’ World Series games and the Eagles’ run at the Super Bowl have been a welcome jolt for the city’s tourism industry, Caren and Val said. It’s one they wish they could budget for every year.

“This is media attention to Philadelphia as a destination that we would never be able to pay for,” Val said. “Whether or not it’s a long economic boom for us or just a few weeks, we want that here.”

Experts are quick to point out that unexpected events like championship runs are not likely to have a long-term economic impact, but in the short-term, hotels and restaurants win. Out-of-town fans book nights at hotels. Locals flock to bars to watch games and stop by sports stores to stock up on new team swag.

And for officials who are trying to bring other large-scale events to Philadelphia, a World Series or Super Bowl can help close a deal, Caren said.

“It helps reinforce our sports-town reputation,” he said. “While we can’t plan for things like postseason play, we can plan for strategies that are successful in bringing things like the World Cup in 2026, Wrestlemania’s 40th anniversary next year, and all the NCAA tournaments that we have.”

With sights set on a full pandemic recovery in the next year, Visit Philadelphia and the Convention and Visitors Bureau are teaming up for the first time to attract more visitors to the city with a $6.5 million joint marketing campaign.

The pitch: “Come for Philadelphia, and stay for Philly.”

The groups unveiled the campaign Tuesday, citing research that showed many travelers are repeat visitors to the city. Organization officials said they hope to tap into dueling reasons why tourists want to return.

“As we were talking to people in research, Philadelphia was all about our credentials. Philadelphia was the [Liberty] Bell and the [Independence] Hall and Rocky and cheesesteaks and all the things that people know,” said Neil Frauenglass, chief marketing officer for Visit Philadelphia. “But once you come here, this is a place you fall in love with, and what you fall in love with is Philly,” which includes elements like its non-cheesesteak food scene and arts and music venues.

“We loved that tension of Philly being our intrigue,” Frauenglass added, and “Philadelphia being our credentials.”