PAR'l'EH IN'l'EHNATIONAL, INC.

PHILADELPHIA TOURISM

ASSESSMENT, ANALYSIS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Volume ~

Parter International, Inc. LDR International, Inc. Madigan Pratt & Associates

cPreparedfor

1101 Fi/1.h Avenue N,·" y",.i<. NY 11)017 (2.1.21 Hf:l'i'-l 71 'i' ~ •• (2)21 870·8390

July 14, 1995

PAH.'l'ER INTERNATIONAL, INC.

Dear Reader;

May 1, 1996

:";01 Firth Avenue N(!w \"ol'k, ;-';'y 1001 i I;?' L!i H(j'i'" 1717 F(li\ (~121 :r70":'~:,l~H..l

The research, analysis and writing of the Philadelphia Tourism study was conducted from J\lly 1994 to June 1995. In our report we reflected that: .

"Studying tourism development in Philadelphia during these past few months has been more like running alongside a train. rather than watching one stopped at a station. It has been an evolving situation with a constantly changing landscape. The train has kept moving forward. coming upon new vistas, wllile more and more people pay attention to it as it gradually picks up steam,"

Since the completion of our study ten months ago the speed of that train has been increasing exponentially, the Aumber of people involved rising dramatically and the quantity and quality of new vistas or ideas growing significantly.

As a result of this rapid change certain of the findings have become dated, while some of the recommendations are already in the process of being implemented, For instance the ASTA convention has taken place and by all accounts was a huge success, the Commonwealth has announced a new tourism initiative, co"op advertising for the Cezanne exhibit is underway, new relationships have been formed and there has been improved coordination among the hospitality industry stakel1olders. The Pew Charitable Trusts have decided to pursue the two major recommendations of the report, They have launChed a feasibility study for the Gateway Visitor Center and contributed to the funding of a tourism marketing organization.

Our assignment from The Pew Charitable Trusts was to examine tourism in Philadelphia and make recommendations accordingly. The study responded to that task. However, since tourism is basically regional, a particularly gratifying outgrowth of this exercise is the manner in whiCh the City and Commonwealth have come together to support new tourism initiatives and promote the Greater Philadelphia Region.

Our objective from the outset has been to assist in facilitating change, not just add another report to the files. Therefore. we are pleased that the local public and private leaderShip, realizing that tourism promotion has been and continues to be among the best economic development tools available, has embraced with enthusiasm and commitment the goal of establishing Philadelphia and the surrounding region as a desirable vacation destination. Assuming this energy, dedication and cooperation continue, the future looks bright.

The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily ref'lect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Parter International, Inc LOR International, Inc. Madigan Prall & Associates

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H Cork Strod Milyfhil' l.,,(HHlon W1X lPD, Eng'land

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECFflVE SUMMARY , .......... )

I INTRODUCTION. . . . . . ..... , BACKGROUND . . . . . , .. , . TOURISM'S IMPORTANCE ..... ' , ..... ,. I ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM. , . , . . . . . . . . 3 CONSIDERABLE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. 6 1TIE TIME IS RIGI-IT , . , ....... , . , . . . . , , . , .. ' , 7 DESTINATION PHILADELPHIA, ... , .... , . , ' . , . , . . 8 Pll1LADELPHIA FIRST ..... , . . . . , .... , . . . . . . 9 ASSIGNMENT .. , , .. , . . . . . . . . , ... , , .. , .. , . , ... 10 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . , , 11 TOURISM DEFINED .... , ' .... , ........ , , , ' ...... , , .... 12

Extended Stay Vacationers .. , ....... , ...... , .......... 13 Conventioneers . . . . . . . . . ' . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . , , . . . . 14 Day Trippers . . . . . . . . , . . . , , . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . , . . 14 Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFRs) ..... , , ........ , , , , ... 15 Business Tnlvelers . . ,. ......'.......,',......... 15

II METHODOLOGY ... , .... " ., ...... ". . ..... , , . 16 INTERVIEWS .. , ..... " , ... "..... , .... , ... 16 COLLECTION OF DATA AND MATERIALS . . . . . , . . . , , . . . . 18 ON SfI'E VISITS. , . . . . . . . . ... , ......... , , ......... 18 THE TEAM.. . .. ...... , .. . ...... " .. 18 THE PROCESS ...... , , ..................... , ... 19

In WORLD TOURISM TRENDS. . .... , , ... , ...... , ....... 20 SELECTED TRENDS, IMPLICATIONS, OPTIONS AND S'I'RATEGIES. . . . . . . 20 THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL AND HERITAGE TOURISM ........ ,20 GROWTH AND CHANGE IN WORLD TOURISM ... " , ... _ .. ,22 CHANGING COMPETITIVE FRAMEWORK . . , , . . . . , . . . , , ' . . , . . . 23 CHANGING TRAVELER CHARACTERISTICS. , . , ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . 24 WORD OF MOUTH . . . . , . . , , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . , . . . 24 DEMAND FOR IRA VEL INFORMATION. . . . , , ' . , . . . . . . . . . , _ , .. 25 THE PRODUCT COUNTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , ' . . ' . , . . . . . . . 26 CONCLUSIONS .. . .............................. ,., 27

IV DATA & RESEARCH ., ................ , ........... ,., .29 OVERVIEW OF TOlJRISM INFORMA TrON. . . . . , . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . 29 PHILADELPHIA TOURISM RESEARCH, AND DATA ................ 31 Tl-IE DATA CONCLUSIONS ... , ....... , ... 31 DATA GAPS AND NEEDS ............... , ....... , ....... 34

V TOUlUSM PROUUCT ASSESSMENT . 36 PRODUCT STRENGTHS . . . . 36 PRODUCT WEAKNESSES. . . 39 PRODUCT OPPORTUNITIES. .41 PRODUCT T.HREATS . . . . . .43

Product SWOT' Analysis lIlustration .44 VISITOR ACCESS, CIRCULATION AND PARKING. .45

Transportation, Gateways, Access & Parking Map, . 46 VISITOR DISTRICTS . , , , , , . . . . . . . .47

Visitor Districts Map . . . . . , , , , , , , . 48 VISITOR ATTRACTIONS AND LINKAGES. .49

Visitor Attractions and Linkages Map . . . . 50 VISITOR DOMAIN AND VISITOR CENTERS. .51

Visitor Domain and Visitor Center Map . . . , 52 PHILADELPHIA'S VISITOR CENTERS. . . . .53

Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center. . 53 Philadelphia Visitor Center. . . . . 54 A New Visitor Center at the INHP . 55 The National Constitution Center, . 57 The Visitor Center Experience . . . 57 Charleston, South Carolina . . , , . 57 Kennedy Space Center, Spaceport USA . 59

LESSONS LEARNED , . , , , . . . , . . . 60 THE VISITOR CENTER AS AN ATTRACTION. .61 PHILADELPHIA'S INDEPENDENCE NATIONAL HISTORICAL

PARK VISITOR CENTER. .62 Visitor Center Elements. . 62 Linkages Model, , , , , 64 Corning Illustration , . . 65 Columbus lIlustration . , 66 Preliminary Costing, , . 67 Visitor Center Issues , . 67

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . 68 Conclusions, , . , . . . . . . . , . . . . , . . 68 Recommendations. , , , . . , . . . . . . . . . 69

Organize and prioritize investment in visitor product enhancement and development in Philadelphia's primary "Visitor Domain". . . . . . . 69

II Plan and build "Philadelphia's Independence National Hist\)rical Park Visitor Center". . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . , , . . . 70

III Impmve and enhance the linkages between attractions and districts. . 70 iv Improve public infrastructure to support expanded tourism indushy, . 71 Visitor Opportunities Map . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

VI TOURISM MARKETING ASSESSMENT ..... , , ........ .

VII.

BACKGROUND . , ... , ...... , ..... , , ........ . STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND T.HREATS .

M(lrketing SWOT' Amllysis Illustration. MARKETING STRENGTHS .... MARKETING WEAKNESSES . , MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES. MARKETING THREATS .... PROMOTING PHILADELPHIA. TOURISM PROMOTIONS .. TARGET MARKETS ... , . IMAGE OF PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS IMAGE ..... . TOURISM IMAGE ..... .

Philadelphia Vacation Image Chmi " Metropol . QUALITATIVE RESEARCH - TRAVEL AGENTS AND VISITORS .. TRAVEL AGENT INTERVIEWS ... PAST VACATIONER INTERVIEWS .. , ........ , SUMMARY ....... , ..... , ....... , , .. . PHILADELPHIA MARKETING RECOMMENDA TlONS . ADVERTISING ..... , .

Image Advertising . . . . . . Cooperative Advertising , , .

POSITIONING PHil.ADELPHIA Positioning Defined Frame of Reference ..... 'farget Market. . . . , , , . Point of Difference/Benefit. Positioning Summary. Positioning Rationale . . . .

RESEARCH. ........ , , . MARKETING RECOMME'NDATION SUMMARY

ORGANIZATION, , ........ , ..... . INTRODUCTION ...... , ....... , , , . PHlLADELPHIA TOURISM ORGANIZATIONS. SUCCESSFUL TOURISM ORGANIZATIONS. ORGANIZATIONAL OPTIONS.

Government. . . . . , . . . An Existing Organization, , Create a New Organization .

ORGANIZATION'S RESPONSIBILITIES, 1. Leadership. . . . . . . II. Continuity & Stability. Ill. Marketing.. IV. Coordination v. Funding . . ,

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.99 101 102 103 104 106 107 108 108 110 III 112 113 115

117 117 117 119 120 120 121 122 123 123 123 124 124 125

PHILADELPHIA TOURISM MARKETING CORPORATION. I. Working title . ii. Legal Structure Ill. Mission.... iv. Staffing . . . . v. Responsibilities. ORGANIZATION CHART. VJ. Budget. ...... . Vll. Relationship to Other Organizations Vlll. Funding........

NEXT STEPS ....

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A -

APPENDIX B -

APPENDIX C -

APPENDIX D -

APPENDIX E -

APPENDIX F -

APPENDIX G -

APPENDIX H -

APPENDIX 1-

Private Sector. Government. Other

Interviews

Bibliography

Vacation Travel to Philadelphia Survey - Travel Trade

Vacation Travel to Philadelphia Survey - Vacationers

Data & Research

Philadelphia Tourism Data

Philadelphia Tourism Promotions & Creative

Target Markets

Research On The Image Of Philadelphia

126 126 126 126 127 127 128 129 129 130 130 131 132 133

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

ASSIGNMENT

Philadelphia Tourism is the result of an assignment from the PEW Charitable Trusts to assess and evaluate Philadelphia's tourism activities, resources and potential and develop a strategic plan to establish Philadelphia as a desirable vacation destination city.

In order to develop a strategic plan the answers to three primary questions were sought.

Product

Marketing

What improvements, enhancements and additions need to be made with respect to Philadelphia's attractions and tourism infrastructure to make it a competitive and successful tourism destination?

What activities need to be undertaken and what resources need to be committed to develop a competitive and successful marketing campaign?

Organization What organizational structure could most effectively and efficiently accomplish the objective of making Philadelphia a destination city?

PROCESS

The assessment and analysis conducted to answer the three questions included over 100 interviews of local leaders, review of tourism related materials and data for Philadelphia and other cities, visits to attractions, interviews with more than 50 practioners from competitive destinations and a qualitative survey of recent visitors to Philadelphia and travel agents in the Mid Atlantic region.

CURRENT SITUATION

For almost a decade Philadelphia has concentrated on marketing to the convention business and, as a result, marketing geared to attracting extended stay vacationers has been a secondary concern.

J'mMJJ~'L1'lil,. TOURISM REPORT: j I:XltCUl1Vli SC)MMARY

Philadelphia's tourism is static in a country and world where tourism is the fastest growing industry. Philadelphia's record of attracting tourists is weak and there is considerable room for improvement.

• a relatively small portion of its visitors are tourists (12.5%)

its proportion of visitor related employment ranked last among 12 major metropolitan areas and its visitor related employment growth rate ranked 11 th

• the length of stay by a significant proportion of tourists is only a few hours

• visitation at the Liberty Bell, the number one tourist attraction in Philadelphia, has been relatively static over the last five years

• the number of visitors staying in hotels falls far behind other major destination cities

• visitors generate a relatively small proportion of Philadelphia's retail sales

• the image of Philadelphia as a tourist destination is weak among both potential vacationers and the travel trade

• meeting planners rank Philadelphia 32nd out of 50 cities as a potential vacation destination

A recent confluence of interest and events taking place in Philadelphia has created an environment in which great strides toward increasing tourist arrivals and expenditures can be accomplished if the key players come together and resources are properly allocated. The most important factors that have created this environment are:

1. Mayor Rendell's commitment to tourism and his leadership in marshaling the forces toward this end.

2. The opportunity to reach a critical tourism audience when the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) holds its annual conference in Philadelphia in November 1995.

3. The National Park Service is conducting a General Management Plan, the first in more than 20 years, for the Independence National Historical Park which will affect the city's most important tourist attraction for many years to come.

PllIlADELPHlA TOURISM REPURT:

ii E'XECUTIVE SUMMARY

4. A number of different local groups have become involved in activities that have the potential to substantially improve the tourism product.

WORLDWIDE TRENDS IN TOURISM

The trends in travel and tourism will impact on Philadelphia's efforts to become a destination city. Among the trends Philadelphia should focus upon are;

the growing importance of cultural and heritage tourism

• the changing competitive framework with the ability to pursue niche markets such as multi-cultural tourism

• changing traveler characteristics with the growing importance of senior citizens, family oriented vacation alternatives and a host of increasingly important niche markets

• the demand for travel information and the new technology that Can distribute that information

• attraction related issues such as product maturity, product access, price/value perception and new products

DATA & RESEARCH

Although there is a significant amount of information about Philadelphia tourism from several studies, the data is largely derived from limited surveys which are, anecdotal and sometimes conflicting. None of the research focusses on identifying and understanding the travel motives of the most profitable tourist, those that vacation for several days and stay in hotels. In order for Philadelphia to make informed decisions with respect to product improvement and marketing, research gathering and tracking will need to be significantly improved.

From the current studies a number of insights can be gleaned:

• Most hotel visitors to Philadelphia are business and/or convention travelers, yet the overwhelming majority of visitors at the attractions are "pleasure" visitors. Conclusion; there are many pleasure visitors coming but a significant portion are

1'1{J/_,WE'Ll'lllA l'OURISM REPORT:

11/ EXECUl1VH SUMMARY

not staying overnight.

• Most visitors to the Liberty Bell are coming for the first time (about 75%). Two­thirds of the Flower show attendees and 72% of the Museum visitors are repeat. Conclusion; Steps to keep attractions fresh and interesting help attract repeat visitors.

• Business travelers are supportive of attractions. Conclusion; business visitors should be included in tourism development.

• Two surveys indicated that only one third of visitors came to Philadelphia attractions as a result of a personal recommendation. Conclusion; Either people are not having a positive enough experience to recommend it to others and/or Philadelphians are not speaking positively about their city. As a result Philadelphia is missing out on one of the most important tourism marketing tools, word-of-mouth.

• Philadelphia has access to an extensive source market but it is not capturing its potential market. Conclusion; the lack of tourism business is related to a failure to promote the richness of the vacation experience in the city.

There are a number of important data gaps and needs including; tourist demographics, tourist opinions, group tours, regional tourism, trend data and market segments.

PRODUCT ASSESSMENT

A chart containing the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats relating to the tourism product appears on page 44.

The focal point of tourism in Philadelphia is to be found at the Liberty Bell and many tourism attractions are found within a ten minute walk of the Liberty Bell, the area we refer to as the primary Visitor Domain.

Philadelphia has a wide array of quality attractions and experiences that are essential for successful tourism in an urban setting but it suffers from a lack of critical mass of tourism product.

The Center City's safe and clean program, the new convention center, the new and improved hotel accommodations and linkages such as the Philly Phlash are among the improvements that are beneficial to tourism attraction.

iv I'lfll-ADELPllIA TOURISM REPORT,

l!.:YECUl1Ve SUMMARY

Further product and infrastructure enhancement and development is necessary to improve Philadelphia as a destination city. Among the weaknesses are: a dearth of convenient, inexpensive visitor parking; a scarcity of pedestrian and vehicular signage systems and under utilization of riverfront resources.

PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Concentrate product investment, enhancement and development in Philadelphia's "Visitor Domain". This should be the focus of attention for tourism product development and management for at least the next five years, The greatest return on investment will result from building on Philadelphia's strength, a strategy successfully used by other cities such as Baltimore and San Antonio.

2. Plan and build "Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center" a state-of-the-art, user friendly facility designed to provide a welcoming, informative and pleasing experience that will influence the visitor to:

- participate in all aspects of the INHP - visit the Old City Historic District - visit other Philadelphia districts and attractions - visit regional communities and attractions - stay longer in Philadelphia - leave as satisfied visitors and goodwill

ambassadors for the INHP, the city and the region

3. Improve tourism infrastructure such as enhancing the quality of the "Visitor Gateways", providing directional signage to attractions and parking areas, improving visitor parking and enhancing pedestrian routes from parking to attractions and the linkages between attractions.

4. Improve the linkages between attractions and districts.

MARKETING ASSESSMENT

Philadelphia faces serious awareness, identity and image issues. Philadelphia as a desirable place to visit has a more negative image than local tourism stakeholders believe.

l'lJlI..ADEI.I'IJIA l'OUII/.\'''' I1m'OIl],:

v IL¥IICUt1VE SUMMARY

Lack of any sustained or focused image marketing over the past decade has lead to a lack of awareness among the travel agent community and a lack of awareness and demand on the part of travelers.

Tourism as an economic engine for communities is becoming an increasingly competitive business. Philadelphia has failed to be competitive" decreasing its advertising spending while promotion for most other cities is increasing.

Philadelphia contains more early American History than any other city, yet, this fact has not been recognized by many Americans. As a result of strong promotion by other cities, Philadelphia's historic product is seen as "at parity" with Boston and Washington. Further, as a result of strong competitive promotion, the other cities are seen as offering a richer vacation experience with many more things to do outside of the heritage experience,

Despite the fact that Philadelphia does have a good product, the perceptions ". and therefore the reality -- among potential travelers is that the product is weak. There is particular concern about personal safety and cleanliness, two of the key criteria for selecting a destination.

There is little awareness of the fact that Philadelphia possesses modern, interesting and exciting urban vacation experiences such as world class dining.

There is limited research available upon which to base tourism marketing decisions.

There has been limited packaging of Philadelphia making it difficult for travel agents and consumers to buy the product.

I'Il/LADELI'1f1A TOURISM REPORT ..

vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

COMPETITORS MARKETING EFFORTS

Advertising Spending

• Tourism advertising spending for major cities has increased by nearly 30% over 1993.

• Television is becoming an increasingly important medium for promoting city destinations "" accounting for nearly 50% of total spending. Magazines, although still playing a major role in destination advertising, are becoming a less dominant medium.

• Although Philadelphia is one of the largest cities in the country, it has been virtually invisible in the advertising marketplace. In 1994, its measured media spending ranked 21 st out of 28 major cities monitored. When compared against the advertising spending of 16 smaller cities, Philadelphia would have ranked last in 1993

• Trends in advertising spending in Philadelphia are running counter to the majority of other cities.

Comparable Promotional Efforts

An analysis of competitive case histories highlight the following lesson which can be applied to marketing Philadelphia:

• Strong leadership is required in order to have a successful tourism product • Developing/possessing unique product offerings are important

Consistent/heavy marketing support is critical • A perception of crime can seriously impact tourism • Heavy marketing support can help overcome problems with crime

History can be both fun and educational • Creating a favorable image of a city among its own residents can have a positive

effect on the city's tourism business.

VII

PJIlLADE'LI'IlIA tOURISM REi'ORr:'

EXECUTIVE SliMMARY

MARKETING RECOMMENDATIONS

Since the city has not mounted a sustained and serious marketing effort to attract overnight vacationers, it 11as not achieved the status of a destination city in the minds of travelers and the travel trade and has not gained the significant tax revenues and employment opportunities available.

Philadelphia should, in order to improve its tourism, undertake the following marketing actions.

1. Advertising -- Immediately begin to promote Philadelphia tourism through an aggressive marketing communications campaign. Allocate a minimum of $3,000,000 annually toward this effort; $2,000,000 for image advertising and an additional $1,000,000 for cooperative marketing/promotional efforts.

2. Positioning -- Promote the City as the overnight vacation destination representing the quintessential All-American City experience - past and present.

3. Research -- Develop an extensive marketing research program to monitor the success of the communications effort and to aid in fine-tuning future efforts. Allocate $175,000 annually for research.

ORGANIZATION

There are a number of characteristics which are present in successful tourism organizations.

These include:

• CONTINUITY OF FUNDING

• FUNDS CLEARLY ALLOCATED FOR TOURISM

• CLEAR DELINEATION OF RESPONSIBILITIES

• GOOD COMMUNICATION & COOPERATION BETWEEN TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS

• SUFFICIENT RESEARCH

PIflLADlU.PIfIA TOURISM REPORT:

VIII EXECU11Vli SUMMARY

I. INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

"Philadelphia Tourism" is the result of an assignment from The Pew Charitable Trusts to assess and evaluate Philadelphia's tourism activities, resources and potential and to develop a strategic plan to establish Philadelphia as a desirable vacation destination city,

Developing Philadelphia as a destination city for tourism is not a new idea, Philadelphians, both in the public and private sector, have been talking about it for years, While considerable time, effort and resources have been devoted during the last ten years to building the Pennsylvania Convention Center and attracting conventions and conventioneers to the City, efforts to attract vacationers during that same time received little attention, Only recently has the focus and activity shifted to vacationers,

In the course of our work we have assessed and analyzed the situation in Philadelphia, reviewed the activities of competitive cities and generated recommendations to help accomplish the goal of making Philadelphia a destination city, This report contains our findings and suggestions, Our ultimate objective, however, is not just adding another report to the files, Our goal is to assist in facilitating change and to expedite the action necessary to start Philadelphia on the road to becoming the destination city it should be,

The report consists of two volumes, Volume I. contains the Assessment, Analysis and Recommendations, Volume II. entitied, "Comparables", contains research on competitive destinations,

TOURISM'S IMPORTANCE

The interest in improving tourism to Philadelphia is understandable, Tourism has been and continues to be an excellent economic development tool for government entities, Examples abound of municipalities whose economies and general well being have improved dramatically because of increased tourism, As expressed by Greg Farmer, the Under Secretary for Commerce for Travel and Tourism, "the travel and tourism industry is one of the unsung heroes of the American economy,"

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1 I'ElII.4DELl'll1A 1'01II<,1,\'M REl'ORT:

lNTI<OflVCTION

With respect to job creation, the travel industry is the nations second largest employer providing jobs directly and indirectly for more than 11 million Americans. Contrary to popular belief tourism does not only generate "low paying, dead end jobs." Top paying executive employment in the industry is expected to reach over 885,000 within the decade.

Tourism is also the nation's single largest service export, generating a $22.2 billion trade surplus. Currently direct and indirect tourism expenditures generate 13.9% of our country's gross national product.

Travel and tourism combined represent the world's largest industry. Together they contribute more to overall worldwide employment and gross domestic product than any other industry.

For the past ten years, travel throughout the world has increased at the rate of 9.6% per year. The industry's value to government entities is easily understood when one realizes that in 1992 it generated over $51 billion in U.S. federal, state and local tax receipts.

The White House, in its special conference on tourism scheduled for October 1995, will focus its attention on this important industry and concentrate on the key issues that will impact the future of the industry such as; Product Development, Technology, Research, Promotion, Infrastructure Development, Educationffraining and Safety and Security.

With many other industries shrinking in size and contributing less to local revenue coffers, it is little wonder that, with the need by municipalities to increase revenues, tourism has risen to the top of the agenda for countries, states, cities, counties, regions, in the United States and throughout the world.

Today tourism is seen by many destinations as an excellent source of economic development - contributing direct tax revenues as well as providing a source of local employment. The degree to which tourism contributes to local economies varies tremendously.

Among the many factors fueling this lucrative industry is the aging of our population in which increased numbers of retirees and baby boomers reaching the peak of their earning potential do a great deal of traveling. Municipalities and metropolitan regions are among the greatest beneficiaries of this increasing travel trend as shown by many tourism studies such as Destination New York-New Jersey: Tourism and Travel to the Metropolitan Region, researched and written by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.

Plffl.A.DELPJIlA TOURISM REPORT:

2 INTRODUCTION

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM

The importance of tourism to Philadelphia has been discussed in recent years in a number of reports, The studies for the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Destination Philadelphia prepared by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, the economic development section of the City of Philadelphia Five Year Financial Plan, a Research Report on Cultural Tourism prepared for the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Peirce Report all agreed that improved tourism would have a significant positive economic impact on Philadelphia and concluded that more needed to be done if Philadelphia was to compete effectively as a destination city,

The above mentioned reports and many of the interviews we conducted made it clear to us that there was already an understanding of the valuable economic impact increased tourism would have on Philadelphia and the surrounding region, Destination Philadelpllia highlighted some of the economic benefits of tourism recorded in the early 1990's such as; $667 million spent per year in Philadelphia by all classes of visitors, travel related employment accounted for 7% of total jobs in the city and businesses in the hospitality sector provided over $30 million in tax revenues,

Despite the fact that little has been done to promote tourism, the extended stay vacationer is already an important source of economic contribution to the City of Philadelphia. A September 1990 study on Hotel Guests In Philadelphia by Coughlin, Keene, and Associates reported that general tourism/personal and weekend package hotel guests represent more than 28% of all hotel guests, and approximately the same percentage of total hotel revenue.

l'l1ll,A.DELPIllA TOURISM REPORT:

3 INTRODIlC11ON

Aggregate Initial Expenditures

by Hotel Guests ~ Philadelphia 1989

ON BUSINE SS TRIP

<,000.000) I G 1137.8

1128.8~ • 1107.1 o TOTAL $371 .8

Source: Coughlin & Keene, 1990

CONVENTIONffRADE SHOW ATTENDEE ----~

37 .2%

ON PLEASURE TRIP

The total economic impact (including the multiplier effect) of pleasure travelers staying In local hotels on the Philadelphia economy in 1989 was $161 .6M or 27% of the total contribution of all hotel stayers of $579.6M. It was estimated that vacationers accounted for 3,675 City jobs.

As this report will point out, there appears to be substantial room for improvement on the part of the City when it comes to increasing the volume and length of stay of vacationers and therefore the economic contribution of vacation travelers.

The Coughlin, Keene, and Associates report stated that, the average length of stay for vacationers is close to that of individuals going to Philadelphia for business purposes (1 .8 vs. 2.0 days). During the interview/assessment stage of this study, the consultants frequently heard members of the community mention that the average length of stay by tourists, "is only 3 hours." This has become the conventional wisdom or almost

4 l'IIJI..!IDELPlIlA TOURlSM REPORT

INTRO()Uf;7'/OI'l

Philadelphia folklore.

Given the definitions which follow, however, it is not true that the average length of stay for {QYrists is 3 hours. What is true, is that the average stay of the day-triQQer - those individuals coming primarily to visit Independence National Historical Park" is only 3 hours. The average yacationer stay, although nat long enough for a city with the range and diversity of attractions that Philadelphia has, is 43 hours (1.8 days). This is significantly longer than the 3 hours generally believed and provides vacationers an opportunity to shop and dine as well as stay overnight in a hotel. It is important to use the proper definitions.

Vacation travelers - those who stayed in a hotel, were as expected, "much more likely to visit one or more of the major attractions than were business guests," according to the Coughlin, Keene, and Associates report. Consequently, vacationers provide an important source of revenue to local events and attractions within the City - something conventioneers and business travelers also do, but not with the same intensity. Increasing vacation travel to Philadelphia will have a definite positive impact on both attraction and event attendanCe.

Considering how little had been done to promote Philadelphia tourism for more than a decade, those people we interviewed believed that the economic impact numbers referenced in the Destination Philadelphia and Coughlin, Keene & Associates reports could and would be significantly increased if more attention and resources were devoted to tourism. One prominent private sector CEO stated that,

"Tourism provides the clearest opportunity for Philadelphia to gain a solid economic footing. Hospitality has the potential to be the life blood of Philadelphia in the next five years."

Our interviews disclosed that there was both an understanding of the significant economic impact of tourism and a commitment to devoting more energy and resources to improve tourism. As a result we concentrated on assessing and analyzing the situation in Philadelphia and making recommendations to develop Philadelphia into a destination city, rather than further justifying the value of tourism as an economic development tool for Philadelphia.

It is critical, however, to remember that tourism promotion is indeed economic development and that the entire effort needs to be considered from that point of view.

Plfll.AIJELI'IfIA TOORISM Rm'l)RT:

5 INTROlJUCTJON

CONSIDERABLE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

Philadelphia, the 5th largest city in the US, the 2nd largest city on the east coast, the largest city in Pennsylvania and a city steeped in American history does not rank well when it comes to tourism. As referenced in Destination Philadelphia, the Metropoll studies compiled by Economics Research Associates and other reports, Philadelphia's tourism record leaves much to be desired.

• A relatively small portion of its visitors are tourists (12.5%)

• Its proportion of visitor related employment ranked last among 12 major metropolitan areas and its viSitor related employment growth rate ranked 11th

• The length of stay by a significant proportion of tourists (day-trippers) is only a few hours

• Visitation at the Liberty Bell, the number one tourist attraction in Philadelphia, has been relatively static over the last five years

• The number of visitors staying in hotels falls far behind other major destination cities

• Visitors generate a relatively small proportion of Philadelphia's retail sales, especially eating and drinking sales

• The image of Philadelphia as a tourist destination is weak

• In a survey of professionals in the convention planning and tourism industry Philadelphia was ranked 32nd out of 50 as a vacation destination

Clearly there is considerable room for improvement. The seminal question is, with the limited resources available, what activities will provide the greatest return on investment.

In a city the size of Philadelphia there are innumerable suggestions that can be made. It is our intent, however, to limit our recommendations to a few that will make a substantial difference and have a good chance of being implemented quickly.

6 PlflulDELPlllA TOURISM lUifORT,

INtRODOCTlON

THE TIME IS RIGHT

The time is right in Philadelphia for all parties to work together to help make Philadelphia a destination city. Together with the understanding of the tremendous economic value of increased tourism, there has been a recent confluence of interest and events which can shape the future of tourism in Philadelphia.

Studying tourism development in Philadelphia during these past few months has been more like running alongside a train, rather than watching one stopped at a station. It has been an evolving situation with a constantly changing landscape. The train has kept moving forward, coming upon new vistas, while more and more people pay attention to it as it gradually picks up steam.

The confluence of interest and events that is taking place in Philadelphia has created an environment in which a great deal can be accomplished if the key players come together and resources are properly allocated. The most important factors that have created this environment are:

1 . Mayor Rendell's commitment to tourism development and his leadership in marshaling the forces toward this end, Examples of this are his creation of the Hospitality Cabinet designed to identify and address issues that will make the city more accessible to tourists, and his active support for the Philly Phlash, Historic Philadelphia, the Amtrak program and various events that would help attract tourists.

2. In November 1995 the American Society of Travel Agents will hold its annual conference in Philadelphia, This conference will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the City to thousands of travel agents. The City's success in making the experience a positive one for the ASTA attendees could result in millions of dollars of vacationer spending in Philadelphia in the coming years.

3. The National Park Service is in the process of conducting a General Management Plan (GMP), the first in more than 20 years, for the Independence National Historical Park (INHP). That plan will affect for many years to come one of the most important tourism attractions in Philadelphia.

7 I'lIlLAJJ[fU'IIM mURISM REPORT:

/NTROIJUCl10N

4. A number of different groups have become involved in activities that have potential to substantially improve tourism in Philadelphia. Among the ideas currently being worked on are; the Constitution Center, the Festival of the Arts, the Avenue of the Arts, and the Laser Light Show.

With this recent high degree of interest, commitment and energy relating to tourism, after more than a decade of inattention, it is essential to "seize the day" and take the steps necessary to develop Philadelphia into a destination city.

DESTINATION PHILADELPHIA

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission's 1993 report, Destination Philadelphia, was a comprehensive study relating primarily to the physical manifestations of tourism. It was a report which compiled and conducted substantial research and is to some extent an inventory of attractions, issues and relevant statistics. It is a valuable document for understanding the Philadelphia tourism landscape.

The report made a considerable number of recommendations with respect to improving the tourism product and infrastructure and a few recommendations with respect to "getting out the message". Taken together the various recommendations constituted the Planning Commission's idea of the mission of city government, "to articulate a vision of the future and act as a catalyst and coordinator for public/private sector implementation. "

In describing "Where Do We Want To Go?" the report set forth seven fundamental strategies. While we believe that the lack of prioritization of its myriad recommendations was a shortcoming of Destination Philadelphia, we do agree with the fundamental strategies listed in the study.

They were, in the order set forth by the Planning Commission:

• Additional visitor attractions must be developed

• Philadelphia's urban environment must be restored and revitalized

• Visitor attractions must be developed as clearly identifiable pedestrian oriented tourist districts

• Philadelphia'S special events need to be made more appealing to a national and international audience

PllIIADJ<."'LPllIA TOURIS~l REPORT:

8 INTRODUCTION

• Hospitality services must be improved

• New independent organizations must be created to bring together the public and private sector

• Marketing Philadelphia must include a regional approach

These basic principles provide a direction to follow. The recommendations which we Ilave made are based in part on information contained in Destination Philadelphia, on additional information collected for this study and on the collective tourism experience of our team. Our recommendations focus more specifically on those goals incorporated in the seven principles which we believe to be the most important and immediate.

What we hope to avoid is casting off in too many different directions. We understand, as was made clear in Destination Philadelphia, that there are innumerable projects and activities which can be pursued to improve Philadelphia tourism. Our goal, however, is to prioritize a few key recommendations rather than delineate a panoply of suggestions. Our hope is that the principle players such as the City, State, The National Park Service (NPS) and committed private sector participants focus on a few strategic projects and activities we recommend, while other interested parties choose to work on those areas in which they have special interest.

PHILADELPHIA FIRST

Although this is a report focussed on how to attract tourists, it is important to remember that all steps taken to achieve the objective of becoming a destination city must take into account Philadelphians as well as tourists. This is true both with product improvements and marketing the city.

A successful strategy will not only have a positive impact on jobs but it must also improve the quality of life in Philadelphia. The improvement of "visitor domains", which we will be discussing, should not only be seen as targeted at tourists. Indeed, suggested improvements in the quality of the environment and services should be directed at Philadelphians first and visitors second. As Baltimore found out in its development of the Inner Harbor, which was originally built with locals in mind rather than tourists, if the public environment is right for residents it will make it a great place for visitors.

9 l'lTll.ADI!Ll'llIA 7'OVJllSM JlEl'()Jll':

lNTR()/JVCTlON

From a marketing point of view it is also important tilat Pililadelphians have pride in what is accomplished to improve the city as a tourist destination, If locals are not positive about their city why should others be interested in visiting it. The often referenced, "Philadelphia Phenomenon", in which even Philadelphians who love their city and would never think of leaving it find it difficult to talk positively about it, needs to be overcome, Even the recent Peirce Report· notes that Philadelphians will "likely bombard you with 'downers',,,ln short, they'll portray a region convinced that at best its second rate", Since word of mouth is such an important component of tourism marketing, any advertising campaign needs to reach locals as well as target audiences to help create the positive attitude which is sorely needed.

ASSIGNMENT

To accomplish the ultimate goal of Philadelphia becoming a first rate tourist destination will take significant time and money, The competition is fierce and growing and other destination cities are devoting considerable resources to both product enhancement and marketing campaigns,

On the positive side, the base from which Philadelphia starts is strong and positive results should appear in a relatively short time after improvements and activities are initiated,

The objective is to get tourists to come to Philadelphia, spend the night, return and spread the word to friends and relatives that it provides a quality vacation experience, In order to accomplish this we set as our goal:

• to conduct a comprehensive assessment and analysis of Philadelphia's attractions and efforts to promote tourism

• to provide prioritized recommendations suggesting particular and achievable activities

• to provide a few select ideas around which those involved in Philadelphia tourism promotion and development can rally

PflllADELPIflA TOURISM REPORT:

10 INTRODUC71ON

In the course of our work, it soon became apparent that in order to develop a plan for Philadelphia, three questions had to be answered:

Product ~- Wl,at improvements, enhancements and additions need to be made with respect to Philadelphia's attractions and tourism infrastructure to make it a competitive and successful tourist destination?

Marketing -- What activities need to be undertaken and what resources need to be committed to develop a competitive and successful marketing program?

Organization -- What organizational structure can most effectively and efficiently accomplish the objective of making Philadelphia a destination city?

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

While the overall goal is derived from the assignment's directive to improve tourism in Philadelphia, the more focussed goals were delineated after Our assessment and analysis,

Overall Goal:

To establish Philadelphia as a desirable overnight vacation destination city which will attract discretionary travellers who will stay in hotels, visit attractions and patronize restaurants, retail stores and other Philadelphia businesses,

In order to accomplish this goal, more focused goals need to be set and attained with respect to organization, marketing and product.

Organization _. Establish an organization with the authority, continuity, funding and focus on tourism to help coordinate the tourism stakeholders and effectively market Philadelphia as a tourism destination,

Marketing -- Develop and implement a tourism marketing program for Philadelphia which is supported by sufficient research, employs a unified theme or message, is directed to target markets and aggressively and consistently promotes the city.

Product _. Enhance and improve the product and infrastructure and assist Philadelphia tourists in making their visit to the city and region as complete and

11 "llJJAIJELl'lifA l'OURlSM RU'lJlm

IN1'R0lIUCl'lI)N

enjoyable as possible,

TOURISM DEFINED

It is essential to the reader of this report that we describe what is meant by attracting "tourists" to Philadelphia,

In Philadelphia, which is not all that dissimilar to many other urban destinations, there are a multitude of descriptive words which are oftentimes used interchangeably when discussing tourism and the individual traveler,

These include, but are not limited to:

business traveler day tripper

conventioneer tourist

visitor vacationer

guest

A lack of widely accepted definitions can and often does lead to considerable confusion when discussing tourism in the city, conducting research or tracking visitors,

Traditionally, the following hierarchy has been used to better differentiate between the different individuals and fosters clearer communication,

. Visitor - all non-residents coming to a destination

Business

[Business traveler [Conventioneer [Worker

12 PIllIADELPf{[A TOIJJIIS!J REPORr,

INTRODUCTION

Non-business

[Tourist ",Extended Stay Vacationer "'Day Tripper

[Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR)

Tlus report, has beefl commissioned specificallv to address Ihe issl.!.,l#~ 1.11,2'(:1 a J1@ater num!)er of'yptended stay vacationers ::.can be attracted to PhiladelplliSA. By "extended stay vacationer, "we are referring 10 leisure travelers who come to the city and spend at least one night in a local hotel or motel.

Extended Stay Vacationers

• Individuals who come to Philadelphia primarily for leisure and stay in a local accommodation, and

• Individuals who come to the City for business purposes and extend t!Jeir stay by at least one night in order to attend a local event or attraction.

This report concentrates on the extended stay vacationer market for two very important reasons, including:

• These vacationers can make a Significant economic contribution to the city, have not been adequately addressed in the past and have been identified as representing a major opportunity for increased economic impact.

• The other segments of the market are either being addressed effectively at the moment, can only be slightly affected by increased marketing and product improvement, and/or do not represent a market which would provide a sufficient return on investment.

I'lllIADh'LPIIIA TOUR.lSM REPORT:

13 INTRODUCTION

Conventioneers, Day Trippers, VFRs and Business Travellers will be positively impacted by increased marketing and product development by the City to extended stay yaQ.1!lioners but are not being considered as primary targets for the tourism campaign for one or more of a number of reasons:

1. Effective marketing is already underway 2. Their economic impact is not as great 3. The appropriate messages to these groups are different from those to

extended stay vacationers

A discussion of each of these markets and reasons why they are not primary targets follows:

Conventioneers

The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Convention Center have exhibited an excellent capacity for effectively marketing to the conventioneer market. This market provides a significant contribution to the economy of the City through extended stays in local accommodations and through their patronage of local restaurants, shopping and bars.

While efforts have been made to attract conventioneers, to date there has not been a concerted effort to market the city as a vacation destination to visiting conventioneers through pre-convention communications and at the conventions themselves. There is a need to more vigorously advise conventioneers of the City's various attractions and the benefits of coming early, staying late or bringing the family. It is important to overall tourist attraction that promotions designed to extend the stay of conventioneers be addressed effectively through direct marketing efforts by the CVB.

Day Trippers

Although day trippers do provide a contribution to the local economy, their per person spending is significantly below that of conventioneers and extended stay vacationers. A comprehensive study by the New York and New Jersey Port Authority in 1994 showed that day-trippers to the New York Metropolitan region accounted for nearly 45% of the region's visitors, however they provided less than 10% of the economic contribution.

Day trippers to destinations are similar to cruise visitors to many islands in the Caribbean. Their short stay limits their potential economic contribution, but they can be an important source of revenue to a select group of establishments.

14 Plllf.ADELPIIIA TOURISM REPOR1:­

INTRODUCTION

Furthermore, if they like the destination they are a prime target for a repeat visit which may be as an extended stay vacationer. Like cruise passengers, the number of day trippers needs to be managed in context with total tourism to a destination in order to maximize total economic impact.

It is felt by many of those interviewed that the city is hosting too many day-trippers which provides limited economic contribution. Bus tours to INHP are the main reason why Philadelphia has a greater proportion of day trippers than other destinations. The preponderance of day trippers contributes to the perception of Philadelphia being a very short stay destination. This perception is held by residents, non-residents and to a great extent the travel trade.

Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFRs)

VFRs have historically been shown to contribute less to the local economy of destinations than hotel visitors even though both visitors generally stay for several days. Increased tourism efforts by the city cannot be expected to induce significantly higher levels of VFR activity, at least during the initial phases of the program because their reason for coming to Philadelphia is pre-determined. As the program increases awareness among local residents of the variety of visitor attractions, it is likely that increased spending by VFRs would result and possibly even increased visitation as VFR's find that there are additional reasons to visit their friends and relatives in Philadelphia.

Business Travelers

Business travelers come to Philadelphia for a specific reason, and like VFRs, the primary reason for coming is for something other than tourism. The tourism efforts would therefore be less likely to encourage their visits. Effective marketing and product improvement could, however, result in conveying an image and atmosphere that would help induce business people to extend their stay.

In all, there are many potential target markets for the City's tourism efforts. It will be impQ.dant for those respoO.$.ible for marketing to stay focused· communicating Philadelphia's benefits to extended stay vacationers. These individuals can provide the greatest immediate economic contribution to the economy, as well as the greatest return on investment.

I'HfMDh'll'llJA mUlllSM Rt'I'ORT:

15 IN'fI10IJUCTlON

II. METHODOLOGY

The three components of this assignment were the gathering and analyzing of information, overall policy and strategy development and the preparing of specific recommendations.

The assessment stage, which laid the foundation for the strategy development and recommendations consisted of three different types of activities; interviews, secondary data collection and analysis and on-site visits and reviews of products and resources.

INTERVIEWS

A key ingredient in the preparation of this report was the conducting of numerous indepth personal interviews and meetings with individuals who had first hand knowledge of tourism related matters in Philadelphia and competing destinations.

The people interviewed consisted of two different groups; (a) individuals who had some knowledge of and involvement with tourism in Philadelphia and (b) tourism practioners from competitive destinations.

More than 100 meetings or interview sessions were conducted with over 75 individuals in group (a). The group consisted of govemment officials, private sector business leaders, and representatives of the hospitality industry and tourist attractions. Many of the key players were interviewed on a number of different occasions or contacted by phone for follow-up questions.

The individuals who were interviewed were chosen because we had identified them as people who were knowledgeable about; the tourism product, past tourism marketing and promotion efforts, funding for tourism, or the organizations which are involved in tourism in Philadelphia. In addition to pure fact finding we focussed on individuals who had opinions about past performance and ideas for the future. The interviewees ranged from the Mayor and Govemor to cab and horse cart drivers.

In order to obtain frank and forthright information, we advised the Philadelphians we interviewed that PEW and our team would keep information and opinions provided to us confidential. A list of the individuals interviewed and the dates of the interviews is set forth in Appendix A.

1'H'UmiUIlfA. TOURISM REPORT:

16 METHODOLOGY

Our team appreciates the involvement and considerable time devoted to these meetings by such a large number of Philadelphia's public and private tourism stakeholders. The findings, conclusions and recommendations of this report, while entirely the responsibility of our team, are in large part based on ideas and opinions gleaned from these meetings.

In addition to the individuals listed in Appendix A, each of our team members conducted a number of impromptu "man-on-the-street" interviews to obtain a flavor of how Philadelphians view tourism in their city. As one would imagine the responses covered the spectrum, from a proud resident who said "There are so many wonderful places for tourists to visit" to the cab driver who when asked what percentage of his fares were tourists answered, "Ain't no tourists in Philadelphia since the bicentennial."

In addition to the individual interviews our team members participated in a number of tourism related meetings. We were fortunate to begin our study with a meeting of the Mayor's Hospitality Cabinet where we met many of the public and private sector tourism stakeholders. Other meetings dealt with specific topics such as the Philly Phlash, Amtrak and the proposed Festival of the Arts. A list of these meetings are set forth in Appendix A.

We also interviewed more than 50 tourism practioners from areas other than Philadelphia in order to obtain information on what city destinations around the U.S. were doing to promote tourism. It was from these interviews that we obtained much of the information that appears in Volume II of this report entitled "Com parables". The individuals and cities or organizations they represent are listed in Appendix A.

As described later in this report, we found that Philadelphia has minimal research concerning tourists and the travel trades' perceptions of Philadelphia as a vacation destination. As part of this report we, therefore, commissioned Trinity Communications, Inc. to conduct two surveys; a qualitative analysis of visitors' perceptions and a qualitative analysis of travel agents' perceptions. Trinity's reports and findings from these two surveys are included in their entirety in this report as Appendix C and Appendix D. In addition the results of these surveys were given to the Hospitality Cabinet's Sub-committee on Marketing to use in the preparation of questionnaires for a quantitative survey it was about to conduct on visitors perceptions.

P1ll&WI,'LPllIA TOOIIISM IIh'POIIT:

17 METllOlIOWGY

COLLECTION OF DATA AND MATERIALS

In addition to the interviews considerable tourism related research, reports and materials were reviewed. A bibliography is attached as Appendix B which refers to various reports, research, correspondence, brochures, advertising, articles, etc.

A section of this study has been devoted specifically to an assessment and analysis of Philadelphia tourism research and data.

ON SITE VISITS

The team members visited numerous attractions, hotels, retail and eating establishments which serve tourists, and other hospitality related sites such as the visitor centers, We studied the street signage, transportation flows and parking. Photographs were taken and maps have been prepared which are included in this report.

THE TEAM

PEW chose consultants from outside Philadelphia to conduct this study in order to bring a fresh, unbiased approach. The Philadelphians we interviewed and asked for help were positive and open with their information, ideas and opinions and we are sincerely appreciative of their assistance,

Our team consisted of tourism and economic development specialists with expertise in urban design, tourism organizations and marketing. In addition to the participation of Parter International, Inc., LDR International, and Madigan Pratt & Associates, we commissioned Trinity Communications, Inc. to conduct two qualitatiVe perception surveys, retained Metaplan Inc. to analyze certain data and enlisted three Wharton Business School students, as part of their course requirements, to research what attracts and keeps tourists overnight in a destination city, profiles of visitors to cities and information about comparable destinations.

P1fllADEIJ>HLA TOURISM REPORT:

18 METHODOLOGY

THE PROCESS

During the course of our study we found that the interest in and the activity relating to tourism in Philadelphia increased substantially.

It is our contention tllat PEW's involvement in this important issue helped to:

• Further legitimize taking a strategic look at Philadelphia tourism

• Reinforce Mayor Rendell's activist approach to this topic and the high priority he has placed on tourism

• Increase awareness among key players in the city of the importance of tourism

• Foster cooperation among the various organizations involved in tourism

• Provide information and assistance to various tourism groups when asked, i.e. the Marketing Sub-committee of the Hospitality Cabinet

• Encourage those involved in tourism in the city to begin to come to grips with the weaknesses and problems relating to Philadelphia tourism.

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19 METHODOLOGY

III. WORLD TOURISM TRENDS

We believe it is useful to understand the current worldwide trends in tourism so that Philadelphia's goal of becoming a destination city can be placed in context.

Philadelphia, like many urban centers in the U.S. possesses a wide variety of tourist attractions. Its forte, however, cultural and heritage tourism is an important and growing component of the world economy's major growth industry - tourism. While the mix of all its attractions is important to making Philadelphia a destination city, cultural and heritage tourism in its broadest context is the primary focus of international visitors and a growing number of domestic travelers.

Philadelphia's ability to attract a steadily growing tourism clientele - domestic and international - will require careful planning, a clear understanding of world travel and tourism trends and a commitment to acting upon those changes, improvements and expansions necessary to make potential visitors aware of and attracted to Philadelphia.

The trends in travel and tourism outlined in the following section, and how they may impact on Philadelphia, are based primarily on the consultants' years of enthusiastic international travel and professional involvement that is supported by a sUbstantial amount of recent strategic planning research in world tourism trends for other tourism destinations. Recent professional travel and consultation include assignments throughout the US and in Australia, Bermuda, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and throughout the Caribbean region.

Selected Trends, Implications, Options and Strategies

Rapid growth and change in the travel and tourism industry have produced a keen interest in strategic planning for tourism. Strategic planning in turn has created a demand for trend analysis. The material that follows attempts to distill information designed to stimulate thought and action for enhancing tourism in general but refers often to the cultural and heritage tourism product which is so important to Philadelphia.

The Importance of Cultural and Heritage Tourism

Charles Landray's definition of culture and heritage provides an excellent basis for defining cultural and heritage tourism: " ... culture and heritage is about the way of life of a place -where it has come from, where it is now and where it is going." This seems particularly relevant to Philadelphia, the Independence National Historical Park and the Historic District. We have found in strategic planning for tourism that culture and heritage have an additional dimension that involves people. The past, present and future of the place must of necessity be colored by the people, past, present and future, including the visitor.

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20 WORLD TOURISM TRENDS

In the rapidly growing travel and tourism world market, there is a trend on the part of the increasingly sophisticated traveler to seek out the "real thing", Many international visitors come to the United States to experience the "Old West", Americans go to Australia to experience "Kangaroos and Australians", Planning for tourism must focus on the local resident, the visitor and the place, This is essential to Philadelphia if it is to become a recognized and successful international visitor destination,

• The Local Resident ~ is perhaps the most often ignored element of tourism, While residing in the community, the local also visits those areas that are of interest to the visitor, In this sense, the local is a visitor. Most importantly, the local contributes to the authenticity and ambiance of the place which is what most visitors seek, Successful planning and management of tourism provides first for the local resident, then for the visitor. A perfect example is Baltimore's Inner Harbor, It was planned for the people of Baltimore and now draws more than 9 million visitors annually with an estimated economic impact in excess of $800 million dollars, A great environment for residents - an authentic environment - will be a great environment for visitorsl

Most travelers on vacation or visitors at leisure want to go where the locals go, eat where the locals eat, and be entertained by the attractions that are a part of the character, heritage and culture of the place they are visiting, Likewise, local residents are unlikely to patronize places aimed solely at visitors,

• The Visitor - The term "tourist" is passe, The visitor, or to use the Disney term "guest", is an essential ingredient for successful tourism-based economic development. Understanding visitor impact not only in economic terms, but also in social and environmental terms, is very important. Not all visitors are created equal. The goal of Philadelphia in its first steps to improve tourism is to attract the extended stay hotel vacationer.

The truly successful visitor destination is one that is more concerned with visitor quality than quantity, The quality visitor is someone who is most likely to repeat the visit and to respect the visitor environment - both natural and manmade, The cultural and heritage visitor is likely to spend more time in a given destination and, hence, have a greater economic impact.

• The Place - The destination is many things to the visitor, It is an essential and important part of the community's tourism product. It includes the physical location and the physical place, be it countryside, city, district, street, or building, It also includes the local history, architecture, culture, folklore, crafts, cuisine, natural features, ethnicity, and customs.

Authenticity and uniqueness are particularly important for successful cultural and heritage tourism. Around the world, and particularly in America, cities and towns are losing their regional differences and special characteristics to an evermore homogeneous look-alike, dress-alike, eat-alike, shop-alike world. It is a joy to

21 1'llllAf)BU'IIM 1'I)UR/SM RH/'OR7:'

WORM) TOURISM TRENDS

encounter places that preserve, enhance and celebrate those things that set them apart and give them a meaning and personality of their own. The changing world of tourism is producing a thoughtless, copy-cat mentality that suggests successful tourism can be based on one more aquarium, convention center, theme park, children's museum, or gambling casino. Authenticity and uniqueness will in the long term produce the greatest and most sustainable economic results.

Philadelphia should concentrate on being unique, authentic and willing to share that authenticity and uniqueness with American and international visitors. Philadelphia should be more concerned with the quality of its existing tourism product than with trying to invent something new for the visitor. That can come later. Authentic and unique fits well with the "clean and safe" objective of the City.

Being the "real thing" is sometimes difficult when the world about you is changing mindlessly in a variety of ways. The primary strategy for successful cultural and heritage tourism in Philadelphia is to make what you have in cultural and heritage resources work extraordinarily well for the local residents and for the visitor.

Growth and Change in World Tourism

World tourism's rapid growth has produced many trends that impact on tourism in Philadelphia. Several subtrends of particular relevance include:

• Accelerated Change - The Single, most important trend in world tourism today is accelerated change. Tourism has grown and is growing, and will continue to grow. This growth and the recognition that tourism is economic development is bringing many new players into the industry. Understanding, coping with and initiating change becomes more and more important. No tourism destination in the world can rest on its laurels, without change, and expect to be in business a decade from now.

• Tourism is a Growth Industry - The scope and impact of world tourism is shown in dramatic data provided by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) for 1994. Almost 528 million visitors traveled internationally and spent $321 billion (excluding transportation receipts) in 1994. This resulted in a 3.0 percent increase in international arrivals and a 5.1 percent increase in receipts. In 1994, the United States performed well, having over $60 billion in tourism receipts.

World tourism is a growth industryl Philadelphia should establish realistic goals for capturing an increasing share of the growing domestic and world market. Cultural and heritage tourism with the mix of other urban attributes can provide a basis for significant annual tourism and economic impact increases. This is a reasonable expectation if the product is enhanced and properly marketed. Neither marketing without enhancing the product nor enhancing the product without marketing will produce the desired results.

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22 WORLD TOURISM THENIlS

Changing Competitive Framework

Travel and tourism is now the largest industry in the world, and a major contributor to economic development globally, nationally and locally. Recognition of the economic development potential of tourism is resulting in increasing competitors at the local, regional and national levels. Countries, states and cities around the world are investing heavily in tourism product development and marketing in an attempt to bolster, or at least maintain, their share of the increasingly competitive world travel market. If Philadelphia, which must play in a highly competitive market that is both national and international in scope, is to compete it must continually improve its product and actively promote its message to a properly targeted audience.

In addition to change, choice is also accelerating. New destinations are competing for the world market. The opening of the Eastern European countries, the rise of the Pacific Rim, the economic revitalization now taking place in Latin America, and Europe's push for unification, will all produce new destinations which will compete for both business and leisure travelers during tile 1990's and beyond.

As with travel destinations, new travel products continue to proliferate. Soft-adventure travel, eco-tourism, specialty cruise and tour packages are just a few of the new travel products competing for the consumer's attention. Many destinations have found that in this competitive environment, the best strategy is niche marketing.

The economic and image benefits of tourism are leading destinations to create new ways of dealing with the competition. Strategic planning and the establishment of new public-private partnerships are allowing a few selected locations to stay ahead of the competition and be successful.

• Niche Markets . • Because of growing choices and changing demography, there is no simple generic tourism market or product. Marketing becomes more sophisticated, targeting market segments or niches. The niche may be product-oriented (people who like an activity) or client-oriented (people with children), or both. For example, the African American tourism market is rapidly growing and a niche market being sold effectively in Philadelphia already.

The niches include the spectrum of product, demography and destinations. Cruises are being developed for ethnic groups and children. Resorts promote specialty packages for golf, tennis, diving or cultural experiences. Culture and heritage is among a number of natural niche markets which apply to Philadelphia.

The competition is keen and the business is changing almost daily. Understanding the competition and the changing product is essential. Over the next several years, emphasis should be given to establishing a continuing strategic tourism planning process for Philadelphia at the regional level.

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/VORLI) TOURISM TRENDS

Changing Traveler Characteristics

Like travel and tourism generally, the characteristics of travelers is also changing. This results, in part, from the fact that more people travel internationally now than at any time previously so that there are larger .numbers of more experienced and sophisticated travelers " many interested in some aspect of cultural and heritage tourism.

Families today are quite different from tile traditional family of the past This is true in the United States and Canada, most of Europe and to a certain extent in Asia. The experience in the United States characterizes this worldwide change in the family. Dramatic shifts have occurred in household composition, reflecting delayed marriage and childbirth, high divorce rates, dramatic growth in women's labor force participation, longer more active life and acceptance of alternative lifestyles. In 1970, 71 percent of all US households were maintained by married couples. By 1990, only 55 percent were, and by the turn of the century only 53 percent will be. On the other hand, non-family households have grown significantly in number to comprise nearly 30 percent of all US households in 1990. Single­person households accounted one-quarter of all households in the United States in 1990.

One major demographic trend effecting ali businesses, including travel, is the aging population of the US and other populations worldwide. The number of young adults in America is declining, while the number of middle-aged and very old Americans is growing rapidly. During the 1980s and even more so in the 1990s, the "Baby Boom" generation will be squarely centered in their forties and fifties.

The number of Americans aged 35-44 is projected to increase nearly 17 percent during the decade of the nineties, while those aged 45-54 will grow the fastest in number, nearly 48 percent between 1990 and 2000. The US will also experience an above average increase in the mature market (i.e., those aged 55 years or older).

The WHOPPIES are comingl Yes, the wealthy, healthy, older people of the world are primary candidates for cultural and heritage tourism. There are over 63 million of them in the US alone. They are indeed wealthier, healthier, better educated and more experienced travelers than have ever existed previously. Psychologically, the mature market is sophisticated, experienced, demanding, price-sensitive and value conscious, concerned with quality and the environment, and wants multiple choices. They also want their destination to be accessible, clean and safe.

Word of Mouth

Recent US visitor surveys by the U.S. Travel Data Center have confirmed that an extremely high percent of travel destination decisions are based on word of mouth references from friends and relatives. The best advertising comes from satisfied and enthusiastic visitors. Can Philadelphia initiate a program to encourage satisfied visitors to market Philadelphia? -It most certainly can. Understanding what satisfies the visitor is an important first step. We

24 l'HlIADHUWU mURISM REPORT.'

WORLD TOURISM TRENDS

suspect that quality attractions and places, quality service and an enriching and quality experience are of utmost importance. A marketing program that conveys the pride engendered from the quality product will help spread the word.

Demand for Travel Information

The sophisticated traveler wants as much as anything else good factual information about travel, accommodations and the cultural and heritage attractions available. Traditional marketing, advertising, videos, brochures and the like will continue to be important However, the next decade will see a dramatic change in the use of technology as an efficient way for information dissemination and communication. At the same time, the more sophisticated travel destinations are focusing on providing informed, enthusiastic, personal services at visitor and information centers.

• Technology - The majority of travel agencies today are automated with Computer Reservation Systems (CRS). Once used for internal bookkeeping and recording, they are now powerful marketing tools. Mega-systems, such as Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Apollo, will try to maintain their dominance but other systems will emerge. The most successful of these will be those that offer one-stop shopping and interface with other systems offering related services.

On-line computer information services are skyrocketing: today, 6,000 services are available from public and private organizations. At least two million Americans log onto such services each month. Using such services, a growing number of PC users are now able to book their own airline, hotel and restaurant reservations. The most widely-used of these, Compuserve, has 2.7 million subscribers, America On-Line has 2 million and Prodigy has 1.3 million. Subscribers now total more than 6 million people and are growing dramatically each day,

The coming age of "the information highway" will bring radical new advances. Known by a number of names such as "interactive technology", "hypermedia" and "multimedia", this new technology will offer a synergistic blend of television, telecommunications, computers, consumer electronics, publishing and information services into a single interactive information industry that has particular applicability and attractiveness for the travel and tourism industry and markets. Destinations, travel providers and a host of other businesses are rushing headlong into cyberspace and establishing sites on the worldwide WEB. Many hotels, CVB's and destinations today have WEB sites on the internet where vacationers and business travellers can obtain information about services offered.

Other sectors of the travel industry, such as hotels, are also now beginning to use more advanced technology - such as rewritable optical disks - to keep a database of all their customers over the course of a number of years. This database is then tied into their reservation-management system, allowing automatic retrieval of a guest's

25 l'IIlLADELPlfIA TOURISM REJ>ORl~

WORLD TOURISM TRh'ND.\'

record - including their room and service preferences, thus enhancing customer service. It is expected that such use of data base marketing technology will become widespread in the 1990s.

Philadelphia's competitive position will be impacted by emerging travel and tourism technology trends. In order to maintain its competitive position, Philadelphia must keep abreast of emerging technology trends and applications. An on-going strategic planning process should identify those applications important to Philadelphia and should be put to use at the beginning of their use cycle. The recent Peirce report devotes an entire section to how high tech can help market Philadelphia.

• Visitor Centers - Visitor centers, large and small, are found virtually everywhere people go to visit. They are sponsored and operated by cities, counties, states and national governments, by convention and visitor bureaus, by public attractions, and by major corporations. They are called visitor centers, tourist centers, orientation centers or information centers. All have several common components: information, directions and restroom facilities. Most are personal service organizations with at least one knowledgeable person available to help the visitor. More recently there are electronic service elements, i.e., computers, interactive videos, etc. In the United States, visitor centers can be best described as public facilities providing restrooms, brochures and personal assistance to the visitor, in approximately that order.

The Product Counts

The rapid growth in travel and tourism has created accelerated demand for all forms of tourism product from those in the natural environment to public attractions, city centers, resorts, hotels, and the authentic cultural and heritage products. The product issue is manifest in new products, product maturity, access to product, and increasingly the price value perception. Philadelphia must face these issues in order to be successful and to assure growth in visitation and economic impact. Careful attention and investment in product is essential.

• New Products - In addition to many new destinations opening, new tourism products are proliferating. Fantasy and "imaginary" destinations are multiplying. Disney locations around the world are powerful attractions. Virtual reality, creation of imaginary experiences through high-technology, are being added to many attractions.

Aquariums, children's museums, science centers and museums of all types are being developed. Gaming is growing. Mega-shopping malls are becoming tourist destinations complete with amusement parks. Performance locations, for temporary events or continuous productions, are increasing. Elderhostels are highly successful in developing educational travel. Even the traditional resort is changing with more choices, activities, and newall-inclusive "packages" (to compete with cruise ships). Cultural and heritage tourism products must also change, upgrade and compete aggressively for market share.

J>lIIUl:lliLJ>lIIA roU/I1SM REPORT:

26 WORLD roURlSM TRlj'NDS

• Product Maturity - Traditional destinations around the world are faced with problems of product maturity and market share relevancy. Center City Philadelphia is a mature destination as is the Independence National Historical Park and other attractions. As mature tourism products, they require sustained investment and upgrading. The problem is faced by many destinations with aging city centers and hotel/resort properties. declining occupancy levels, slow or no investment by owners and changing social and environmental product conditions.

The response in declining or stagnant destination areas/regions has been varied: new regional marketing strategies, local co-op advertising and promotion programs, strategic planning, public/private partnerships, and, in some cases, reinventing the visitor experience through major product development and enhancement -­investment in product.

• Access to Product - A major issue for Philadelphia is access to product. The term access means much more than transportation. Ease of access suggests that upon arrival at the attraction site, parking is readily available and easy to use; that getting from the parking to the attraction is eased by directional sign age and a unified streetscape/landscape design; that once at the attraction, there is ample information, interpretation, guidance, and direction to make the experience easy, fun and memorable.

• Price Value Perception - The price/value/relationship is a perception held by a consumer. It is the subjective assessment of the quality received for the price paid. To be competitive, a product must be seen as having comparable quality to another, at a more attractive price. Price alone is not as important, generally, as the perception of value for the price paid. There are price thresholds which tend to define the available market.

CONCLUSIONS

Reflecting on the material covered in this section, it seems to us that there are several important conclusions to be drawn. The growth of tourism, changing traveler characteristics, the demand for travel information, enhancing the product and getting Philadelphia's message to potential visitors are the areas that must be given attention.

Tourism Growth

Worldwide tourism continues to grow and is becoming increasingly important to the economic well being of cities, states and countries.

I'HII.AI)ELPllM TO(lRISM REPORT:

27 WORl.» TO(lRISM TRliNJ)S

Changing Traveler Characteristics

Targeting appropriate niche markets is becoming increasingly important in marketing destinations. For example, an increasingly important demographic market segment in the world today is the aging population (54 years old and over) - the WHOPPIES. It is a group which is much more interested in culture and Ileritage than the beach. They are an important target audience and can help Philadelphia with its marketing through strong word­of-mouth reference.

Demand for Travel Information

Philadelphia must create state-of-the-art ways of transferring or conveying information about the wealth of activities and attractions to the traveling public. These include the use of modern technology to help attract potential tourists and since our interviews and surveys indicate that tourists have a difficult time in learning how to "take in" the City once they arrive, a new, properly situated, high-tech Visitors' Center is necessary to help tourists learn about the great variety of attractions available in Philadelphia and the region and how to most conveniently access them.

The Product

Contemporary travelers are more experienced and discriminating. They seek a quality experience with intellectual enrichment, friendly people, good service and a superb environment. Sophisticated visitors are searching for visitor destinations and attractions operated by enlightened and sophisticated travel industry representatives. An expanded, enhanced Philadelphia tourism product can provide a rich experience for the visitor and be very competitive to other large city destinations.

The Message

"Build it and they will come", is not enough. Philadelphia must be marketed loud and clear if it is to succeed in the extremely competitive tourism marketplace. This is particularly important in light of the dearth of marketing activity during the last decade.

28 l'H1LADELPllIA TOURISM R£I'ORT,

WORLD TOURISM TRENDS

IV. DATA & RESEARCH

An extensive study and analysis of available Philadelphia tourism related research was conducted for this report. Following is an assessment of that research.

OVERVIEW OF TOURISM INFORMATION

Tourism is not identified as an industry in the United States. There is no periodic economic census of tourism, no single SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) code, no categorized employment and business data, no standardized definitions. Some data that is widely reported. like hotel occupancy, is usually proprietary and often not inclusive of all properties.

While in other industries, there are standardized data and sources of governmental information, this is not true of tourism. Most tourism data are specific to communities, subjective and seldom collected objectively, systematically or regularly. Some organizations and institutions have created models, identifying a cluster of SIC codes that are "travel­related" and assembling data from these to track tourism (i.e., travel) employment, businesses, receipts, and wages. However, different models select different categories. Models are not comparable from one author to another.

There is also no universal definition of the "tourist". Some consider tourists to be only recreation, vacation or leisure travelers, and do not include business travelers. The World Tourism Organization categorizes anyone traveling away from home for an "overnight" stay of at least one night but less than a year for pleasure or business to be a tourist. A day­visitor or day-tripper is an "excursionist". The U.S. Travel Data Center (a private organization affiliated with the Travel Industry Association of America) defines a tourist as someone traveling for either an overnight or more than 100 miles from home.

For nationally accepted data, the U.S. Travel Data Center (USTDC) provides the most reliable information, in terms of comparability, trends, consistency and value. It provides data which are consistently formulated from period to period and area to area, although the statistics covered are primarily limited to extracting available governmentally collected information. They do conduct monthly telephone surveys to sample consumer travel patterns. Within the U.S. Department of Commerce, there is a Travel and Tourism Administration (USTTA); however, it does little if any data collection or surveying and relies on the USTDC to publish and distribute available statistiCS.

It is within this framework that information about Philadelphia tourism must be evaluated. Information to define tourism in Philadelphia is limited. Although there are several studies and regularly published statistics, they are generally of questionable value.

29 1'lllIADELl'IfIA TOURISM RE'I'O/l.l',

IJA 1)1 & /l.l!SliA/l.CII

There are many purposes for data and research. Some are used to evaluate performance, either over time or in comparison with something. Some are used to help improve performance, marketing or products. Often, tourism data are used to justify a budget or activity. It is usual for tourism agencies, like convention and visitor bureaus, to publish data which shows how much they are contributing to the local economy and how successful they are. Data and research need to be used to be effective.

Tourism is a complex industry. It is foremost an "export" industry. People purchase local goods and services with money from outside the area. Therefore, the value of tourism is not the numbers of "visitors", but how much they spend. Visitors who stay overnight, in paid accommodations (in contrast to staying with friends and relatives), usually spend much more than day visitors. Shopping, while a growing tourist activity, may not provide as much "value­added" spending as eating in a restaurant, going to an attraction or staying in a hotel.

Tourism has several major components. There are the "source markets" - the visitors who come and spend money. There are the tourism "products"· the services, entertainment, accommodations and experiences that people purchase when traveling. Then, there are elaborate "networks" - the organizations and people that link the tourist to the product - the travel agents, marketing programs, tourism agencies.

Developing tourism has largely, in the past, focused on "marketing" and promotional activities and networks. Actually, developing tourism also requires examining and enhancing the "products" and identifying and pursuing new "markets."

The data and research that are most useful in developing tourism are:

• Government statistics and revenue data such as employment and sales tax information that are routinely collected and can be interpreted to provide objective information about trends. For example. the room tax collected by hotels is a good measure of tourism expenditures. Selected SIC code information on employment is also valuable (such as hotels, entertainment and museums). This is hard data.

• Attendance and occupancy statistics, when collected over time and consistently can provide valuable understanding about growth trends. Unfortunately, many attendance figures are estimated. Hotel occupancy data are usually proprietary and seldom consistent over time.

• Visitor and market surveys, when properly done, can provide useful insight into tourism activity and attitudes, and in tourist demographics and psychographics. In using surveys, it is important to know how they are designed, what questions are asked, and how they are interpreted. No survey information should be used without understanding how it was collected.

30 1'1I1fADELI'HlA TOURISM REPORt>

DATA & RESEARCH

• Economic impact studies are valuable for understanding the benefits of tourism and informing others about its value. Tourism is economic development. and one of the fastest growing sectors of economies worldwide. These are best done in a national or regional context, so that the economic value is related to the larger economic picture. Tourism employment as a share of total employment is more useful information than an isolated number. These studies, like surveys, vary in quality and usefulness and must be examined for methodology.

• National travel data are generally limited to transportation data and data compiled by the USTDC. There are data generated by some national organizations like cruise lines, bus associations, and convention bureaus. These are useful if the local picture can be put into a context that helps interpret the local situation. For example, if travel-generated employment is about six percent of all employment, then a local area can assess the relative importance of tourism to its economy by knowing how much travel employment it has. (It must use the same measures, however.)

Generating a complete picture of tourism in any area will usually require combining data from all of the above categories, and interpreting it for the community. It is important to know what data are potentially available and which are not, as well as knowing what may need to be generated. Government statistics, attendance and national data usually exist and may need only to be collected. Surveys and impact studies are usually generated.

PHILADELPHIA TOURISM RESEARCH AND DATA

There are many reports about tourism in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, they are generally not comprehensive, are often anecdotal, and often do not utilize existing state or national data which could put a perspective on information. Appendix E, reviews and summarizes the principal research and data which exist on tourism in Philadelphia, including the Coughlin, Keene studies, the CVB reports, PKF monthly reports, Destination Philadelphia and other studies.

THE DATA CONCLUSIONS

Although there would seem to be a significant amount of information about Philadelphia tourism from the several studies, in fact there are few sources of quantitative data available.

In order for Philadelphia to make informed decisions with respect to product improvement and marketing, research gathering and tracking will need to be significantly improved. Qualitative assessment of the visitor experience and the person who chooses not to come to Philadelphia is needed, These surveys must ask people what they liked and disliked about the attractions, about Philadelphia, about their experience and what they would like to see changed.

PlllL1DW.1'1I1A TO()RI.\'M REPORT:

3.1 IM1:1 '" RESEARCH

Data are useful when they provide assessment, direction and guidance. Too little of the information on Philadelphia does this and as a result is not as helpful as it could be in planning to generate additional tourism. However, recent activity by the Hospitality Cabinet in fielding an extensive market segmentation study is to be applauded.

From the studies, we glean a few insights:

• Most hotel visitors to Philadelphia are business and/or convention travelers. Few leisure tourists spend the night in hotels in Philadelphia. Yet, the surveys of attractions indicate that the oVerwhelming majority of the visitors are "pleasure" visitors. Conclusion: there are many pleasure visitors coming, but a significant portion are not staying. The average visitor to the Independence National Historical Park - and there are at least 1.4 million annually - stays 3 hours.

• Most visitors to the Liberty Bell are coming for the first time. About three quarters of visitors surveyed in one study were first time visitors. This is quite low for a major attraction. Yet some two-thirds of Flower Show attendees, and 72 percent of MUSeum visitors were repeat. Conclusion: Steps must be taken to keep attractions fresh and interesting. The current tourism product needs improvement to generate greater numbers of return visits (and the product is not the park alone).

• Business travelers can be supportive of attractions, as evidenced by the Coughlin Hotel study where 38 percent of hotel guests went to the Independence Park and the City Planning Study where 44 percent of hotel guests went to the Park. Conclusion: business visitors should be included in tourism development. The business traveler needs to be considered as an asset.

• Philadelphia is apparently not generating recommendations from tourists. In most cities, the overwhelming majority of visitors, when asked why they came, mention "word of mouth", a friend or relative recommended it. The limited survey data for Philadelphia indicates this is not true in Philadelphia. In the City Planning Commission survey of attractions, only 33 percent came because of a recommendations. From the park visitor survey, 30 percent came because of a recommendation. Conclusion: people are not having a positive enough experience in Philadelphia that they would recommend to others, or the Philadelphia Phenomenon is at work.

• Philadelphia does have access to a strong tourism source market. All surveys show significant attendance at events, attractions and hotels from outside the metro area. Surveys at the Independence Park show foreign and broad U.S. visitation. Hotel surveys also indicate an extensive source market. Conclusion: Philadelphia is not capturing its potential market. Philadelphia is well-situated to capture more visitors and to derive more benefits from them. The lack of more tourism business is not lack of source market - but rather a need to enhance and promote the product.

32 PHlI-ADELPlllA TOURJSM I!f1I'ORT.·

DATA &. I!f1SEARCf{

" 1\,;,· I ' I: ( ~

There are hard data and stati~,®(i available which are not sufficiently used or analyzed in Philadelphia. For example, some information on meetings and conventions either coming or being booked are not interpreted to determine what kinds of people are coming, where they are from, whether they are repeat, and how they rank in terms of size. Also, attendance data from attractions is not interpreted over time to determine trends. There is employment data which could be used to assess Philadelphia's tourism employment compared to the rest of Pennsylvania or other areas,

Below are some examples of data which could be utilized. The tables mentioned appear in Appendix F.

Room Tax Resources· Philadelphia taxes hotel room charges. Based on the tax resources, actual hotel room receipts can be determined. Table A shows hotel room receipts for the last five fiscal years. Fiscal 1994 shows an increase of 10.2 percent over 1993 which probably results from the opening of the new convention center. Prior to FY 1994, hotel receipts were flat

Table B shows monthly hotel receipts for FY94 illustrating the seasonality of hotel usage. Hotel usage is relatively constant throughout the year, except January. It is highest in June. The hotel receipts do not show the normal peaks of summer travel· and quite surprisingly, show no peak in July - a major event period for Philadelphia.

Attendance Trends - Attendance at attractions over time help indicate what is going on in visitation, Although attendance data are reported, little analysis is given with them. Table C presents attendance recorded by the Independence National Historical Park over a ten year period. While 1987 showed significant increase in attendance over prior years, attendance quickly fell again after 1987. The great Constitutional celebration had no apparent lasting impact on tourism.

Employment Information - Employment data are continually collected by state labor departments and reported by the county. Trends in this data often paint pictures of what is happening economically to an area. Table 0 extracts some PennsylVania employment data for 1987 and 1992 and for Philadelphia County. In those five years Philadelphia lost employment and its share of state employment but grew in hotel employment indicating that tourism may actually be growing slightly.

33 NIIMI'/iLPlIlA TOURISM HO'OR1:'

Del TA & I1I!SFARCll

DATA GAPS AND NEEDS

It is not surprising that Philadelphia, like many other cities has, inadequate tourism data, Nor is it surprising that it does not use information potentially available to it. It is unfortunate that it does not recognize that better information could facilitate the development of tourism, There are many data gaps and needs, some already mentioned in the assessment of existing studies,

Tourist Demographics - There is very little description of the tourists coming in terms of socio-economic characteristics,

Tourist Opinions - There has been no evaluation of the tourist experience, or opinions about Philadelphia from those who come,

Group Tours - Group tours are a growing part of tourism, yet we have little or no information about groups that come,

Tourism Linkages - There is no information about the nature of total trips by tourists coming to Philadelphia, What are their travel patterns?

Regional Tourism - Philadelphia is part of a larger tourism destination but lacks knowledge about how it relates to that larger area, What is going on around Philadelphia that could impact the city?

Source Markets - Although we have some idea about where people are coming from, there is no analysis of the potential of those markets, nor their different behaviors,

Economic Context - Tourism is not evaluated in terms of its relationship to the larger economy, to indicate its relative growth and importance,

Trend Data - There is little or no analysis of trends in tourism in Philadelphia using "hard" or objective data.

Comparative Data - Philadelphia is not compared to other areas to assess its performance relative to other places,

Market Segments - There is not recognition of the variety of tourism market segments - and the potential and importance of each, Philadelphia has many potential and existing types of visitors,

Philadelphia needs basic objective statistics, qualitative assessment and a regional economic context for measuring its tourism performance, It also needs a total understanding of its source markets, The information it is currently using will not be adequate to help the city reach its potential as a tourism destination.

34 PHlUIJ/:;LPHIA TOURISM REPORT:

llATA & Rt.'SllARCIl

If Philadelphia knew about the experiences of people who visited, they could learn where the product is successful and where it is lacking. If it had demographic data and more understanding of the socio-economic characteristics of who was coming, it could target its marketing more effectively.

35 Plfll.AI)J!LPfIlA TOURISM REPORT:

lIM>1 & RJiSEARCH

V. TOURISM PRODUCT ASSESSMENT

"The question eagerly put to me by everyone in Philadelphia is, Don't you think the city greatly improved? They seem to me to confound augmentation with improvement. It always was a fine city, since I first knew it; and it is very greatly augmented .. "

William Cobbett A Year's Residence in the

United States of America, 1817-19

Philadelphia's attraction base is rich and diverse and so are its visitors. Indications are that visitor interest and awareness rests primarily on the Independence National Historical Park and the numerous smaller attractions located in other visitor districts within Philadelphia. The attraction base also includes the New Jersey State Aquarium in Camden and the Philadelphia Zoo. The new convention center is a major addition and one that will bring numerous conference and visitors to the city who will be attracted by the richness of cultural and heritage attractions available to them when they visit the city. Importantly, the tourism product also includes Philadelphia's excellent restaurants, hotels, arts and entertainment attractions, as well as the fabric of the city itself. In this sense, Philadelphia like other urban centers is an attraction itself, one that must strive to be a clean, safe and interesting experience for visitors throughout the United States and the world.

The tourism product assessment that follows is organized as a "SWOT" (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Assessment. Its purpose is to identify those things that most directly impact on the success of tourism as related to the tourism product.

PRODUCT STRENGTHS

As a recognized tourism destination, Philadelphia obviously has many strengths which are briefly outlined in the paragraphs that follow. Later sections of this report focus on building on these strengths as it relates to access, circulation and parking, visitor districts, visitor attractions and linkages and visitor product and infrastructure opportunities.

A National Attraction, Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park is indeed a recognized national attraction. The Park currently attracts some 1.5 million visitors annually for reportedly short-duration visits. The National Park, by itself, is not viewed as an attraction requiring the whole day or several days to experience. The difference between reality and perception regarding the richness of the Park's experience is subject to debate.

PHlLIlDELPlllA TOURISM REPORT:

36 PRODUCT

The quality of tile attraction is not in question and its designation as a National Historical Park is a major positive attribute. Enhancing the park experience both in the park and in the immediate surrounding areas to maximize visitation, visitor satisfaction and visitor impact is one of the key issues that needs to be addressed.

Name Recognition. The Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, The Constitution, The Independence National Historical Park and associated attractions all have name recognition throughout the United States and, to a certain extent, internationally. This is reinforced and strengthened by the many important historical characters that are a part of the City's heritage: Benjamin Franklin, William Penn and the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. The City of Philadelphia itself has name recognition as a historic city, a center of commerce, industry and culture as does the Art Museum, Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Orchestra. However, in a small sample of travel agents that we surveyed, very few could name more than one of the City's attractions, an incredibly low number, probably due as a result of limited marketing.

Relationship to Old City Historic District. The fact the nation's primary heritage attraction is located immediately adjacent to an important Old City Historic District reinforces the importance of all of the individual attractions located within the two areas. The National Historical Park and the Old City Historic District form the core of Philadelphia's "visitor domain", the area of primary visitor attraction and the area requiring the greatest attention in terms of both physical planning and strategic planning. It also should be the focus of major investment in product enhancement and development. Further improving the City's strongest attraction, will draw viSitors which will in turn result in the development of additional attractions elsewhere in the City. San Antonio and Baltimore are good examples of how concentrating on making the core attraction as strong as possible benefits the rest of the City.

Location and Accessibility in Philadelphia. The primary heritage and cultural attractions described previously are strategically located within Philadelphia'S vibrant Center City area -one of America's most successful large city downtown areas. This strategic location is enhanced by exceptionally good access via major streets and highways as well as surface and subsurface public transportation. This excellent location and generally good access to the site is counterbalanced by limited directional signage, relatively poor parking accommodation and difficult visitor access to the entire National Park and Center City experience.

Secondary Attractions and Great Restaurants. Philadelphia is blessed with a wide array of attractions ranging from those in suburban locations, i.e., Valley Forge, Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Reading Factory Outlet Stores, to the Philadelphia Zoo and the New Jersey State Aquarium. Within Center City and particularly within The National Historical Park and the Old City Historic District there are 20 or more attractions provided in a relatively concentrated area. These secondary attractions need to be reinforced, promoted and made an integral part of the visitor experience. Philadelphia has the rich density of attractions and experience that are essential for successful tourism.

I'IIllADE'LPIIlA TOONISM RE'PORr ..

37 I'IIODOCr

A number of Philadelphia's restaurants have gained great stature well beyond the City limits. Excellent restaurants are a part of the ambiance and character of the City. Great restaurants are an important part of a successful tourism destination. This is one of Philadelphia's major strengths. In addition to its five star restaurant attractions, Philadelphia has a number of three and four star restaurants that provide excellent food for the cost, thereby providing a strong "price value" comparison and a high degree of satisfaction to the visitor. Unfortunately surveys show that potential visitors are unaware of Philadelphia's culinary strengths.

Excellent Array of Events and Activities. Philadelphia hosts a number of events and activities that are both regional and national in scope. These include: Welcome America, Mummers Parade. professional and collegiate sports, boat and bicycle races, book and cook events and multi-cultural programs. Within the historic visitor domain area there is: Historic Philadelphia, Penn's Landing programs and the proposed Laser Light Show.

WeI/-Defined Visitor Districts. Philadelphia has 20 or more well- defined visitor districts. These are described in the following sections. These districts are a part of the charm of Philadelphia and are all reasonably accessible. The National Historical Park and the Old City Historic District are the primary district in terms of tourism. However, Society Hill, South Street, Market Street, China Town, and the emerging convention center districts are all important. Beyond that, the Civic Center, Penn Center and the Avenue of the Arts all provide a distinctly different flavor, as does Rittenhouse Square and the Parkway. From the visitor point of view, the important thing is that these districts are clearly defined and easily accessed.

Access to Large Regional Market. One of the great potential strengths of Philadelphia as a major visitor destination is its central location in the larger Mid-Atlantic Region - a region with approximately 50 million people in it. Equally important is the potential for developing linkages for tour groups visiting other mid-Atlantic destinations, i.e. Washington, Baltimore and New York. This is particularly true for incoming international visitors who are a major source market for packaged tours. The key, of course, is to convince the tour operators that Philadelphia is more than a three-four hour stop on the way to somewhere else.

Tourism as Economic Development. Philadelphia is only now beginning to acknowledge tourism as a potential economic development growth market. Philadelphia has the potential to capture a larger share of domestic and international tourism in the years ahead but to do so it must both improve its product and market itself effectively. There is no comprehensive economic impact study of the effect of tourism on Philadelphia. The last Coughlin-Keene study that took a partial economic impact view was completed in 1989.

Potential for Growth. Given the strengths outlined above and the potential to participate in one of this country's and the world's "growth industries", Philadelphia has the opportunity to become a significant player in the vacation destination arena. Significant growth in the extended stay vacationers should be the objective of Philadelphia's travel and tourism industry.

PHII.A.DEU'1II1l TOURISM REPORT:

38 PRODUCT

PRODUCT WEAKNESSES

As noted earlier, the purpose of the product assessment is to provide a macro-level assessment based on field observation, comparisons to other urban tourism destinations and on what Philadelphian's themselves have to say about their City and their tourism attractions. It is interesting to note that Philadelphia's tourism stakeholders are particularly quick to point out the weaknesses of the tourism product and supporting human, physical and fiscal infrastructure. As indicated, both real and perceived weaknesses are very often issues and/or constraints that need to be addressed on a consistent and comprehensive basis because of their adverse impact on the success of tourism.

Overall Quality of Product, The tourism product in Philadelphia includes major and minor attractions. While Philadelphia is an attractive and pleasant city to visit, it's tourism product must be viewed as a weakness since tourism does not seem to be working as well as it might in terms of growth and economic impact. The product investment. enhancement and development is essential and must be undertaken concomitant with an effective marketing and advertising campaign. If the product doesn't work for the visitor, then marketing and advertising investment is wasted.

No One Responsible and Accountable for Tourism Product. Philadelphia seems to have more than its share of travel and tourism organizations, each focusing ona particular aspect of the industry. Unfortunately, no one person or organization is responsible or accountable for the tourism product or its marketing or for providing leadership to the travel and tourism industry. Recently the Mayor has been moving the agenda forward and filling the tourism leadership vacuum. While this Mayor will continue to be a driving force in developing Philadelphia into a destination City it is essential that an organization with day-to-day responsibility for tourism issues coordinate and encourage the tOLlrism revolution.

Lack of Convenient, Inexpensive (or Free) Visitor Parking, Philadelphians complain at least as much as visitors about the lack of convenient and reasonably priced parking at or near the National Park and other visitor destinations. Parking enforcement is also a problem that needs to be dealt with. Visitors who are thwarted in finding reasonably priced and easily accessible off-street parking become the victims of strict on-street regulation, They are reportedly ticketed very quickly and leave Philadelphia with negative feelings in many cases.

Condition of Public Environment (Cleanliness), Philadelphians seem to complain about the public environment as much as or more than visitors. Much of Center City is very clean as a result of the highly effective programs of Center City Management, Inc., with its emphasis on "clean and safe", The National Historical Park also adheres to relatively rigorous National Park standards and seems clean and user-friendly. On the other hand, adjacent districts and neighborhoods might benefit from the type of programs provided by Center City Management, Inc.

I'I111ADE'U'/fIA TOURISM REPORT:

39 I'IIOIJUCT

Public Safety Image. The public safety image of Philadelphia to Philadelphians, regional residents and national visitors is perceived to be negative. Over the years Philadelphia has experienced several unfortunate incidents that at the time created negative feelings. In reality, most, if not all of Center City is relatively safe. Again, Center City Management, Inc., works hard to prevent problems and to work cooperatively with visitors and the police in remedying problems before they become serious. The type of public safety effort provided by Center City Management, Inc., could prove very helpful in the immediate areas surrounding the National Historical Park.

Pedestrian and Vehicular Signage Systems. Access into Philadelphia is quite good in terms of automobile access, as well as public transportation access. The weakness lies in the lack of effective pedestrian and vehicular signage systems, both directional and interpretive. This issue was highlighted in our survey of past visitors to Philadelphia and interestingly the lack of signage was linked to issues of crime where visitors were concerned that through poor sign age they might end up in an unsafe area.

Linkages between National Historical Park, Historic District and Other Districts and Attractions. Philadelphia offers a rich density of experience to the visitor willing to search for it. The National Historical Park and the Old City Historic District combined provide the major attraction for cultural and heritage tourism buffs. Yet, most visitors come only to experience the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall and a quick lunch. The potential to effectively link the National Historical Park to the Old City Historic District, South Street, Penn's Landing and other districts and attractions is a challenge that must be met if Philadelphia is to attain its proper role as an international visitor destination.

City/National Park Service Visitor Centers. The fact that there are two visitor centers in Philadelphia creates an immediate dichotomy between the National Historical Park and the balance of Philadelphia, particularly as it relates to the Old City Historic District. Presenting the National Historical Park independently of the city does the Park and its visitors a disservice. The National Historical Park is part of the city - an important part of the city in addition to its importance as a national shrine. A state-of-the-art visitor center at INHP could creatively present both the National Historical Park and the City of Philadelphia in an interesting, exciting fashion that could provide the access to the rich density of experience that exists.

Visitor and Tourism Data and Research. The Philadelphia visitor is poorly defined and little understood. As suggested in the Tourism Data and Research Section, the little bit we know from Philadelphia research is that we don't know very much about the visitor, what he or she wants or expects or what the real impacts of tourism are. Knowledge of the visitor seems essential if Philadelphia is to fine-tune its product and provide and outstanding experience for the visitor. The objective should be to send every visitor away as a salesman for Philadelphia.

PlIlUDELPlflA TOURISM REPORT:

40 PRODUCT

Continued Emphasis on Convention Center Rather than Tourism Development. A number of individuals and organizations have worked long and hard to bring about the Pennsylvania Convention Center, a state-of-the-art convention center that is competitive with cities throughout the United States. The emphasis has been on getting the convention center built and now on booking it. Both development and sales are important to the convention center and must be continued. The challenge that Philadelphia now faces is how to maintain the momentum in this area while building Philadelphia into a widely known vacation destination. If Philadelphia wants to become an international visitor destination, it must determine, what is required organizationally and in terms of funding resources, to make that happen.

The City and National Historical Park. The fact that the City and the National Historical Park have had a less than strong working relationship is widely known and discussed at every opportunity by Philadelphians. Resolution of this issue by the parties at stake would do a great deal to enhance the National Historical Park, both as an attraction itself which draws repeat visitors and as an important part of the City of Philadelphia, rather than something separate and apart with conflicting missions. By working together cooperatively, both parties would benefit greatly and the potential for achieving international destination status would be greatly enhanced.

PRODUCT OPPORTUNITIES

The opportunity to enhance Philadelphia's position as a visitor destination of international status and to increase the economic development impacts of tourism are real. Capturing the tourism opportunity requires careful planning, focus and a commitment to change. Several of the major opportunities facing Philadelphia are outlined briefly below.

Change/ The travel and tourism industry, worldwide, and particularly in the United States, is one of rapid change. New destinations are invented, or discovered, daily and new products proliferate on an ever escalating baSis. Importantly successful destinations are beginning to focus on strategic planning as a realistic basis for managing change so that valuable time and resources are not spent chasing illusions and copycat versions of what other supposedly successful destinations are doing, I.e., another science center or aquarium. Philadelphia needs to be organizationally equipped to embrace and manage change in its travel and tourism industry.

A Quality Environment for Philadelphians and Visitors. Philadelphia is a great city! It is a vibrant, busy and successful city which also has in close proximity to its downtown a rich array of cultural, educational and arts amenities. The richness of the urban fabric is made exceptional with the location of the Independence National Historical Park and the Old City Historic District. It is within this latter area that a great deal of attention to the quality of the city needs to be focused. The "visitor domain" is not a visitor ghetto. Rather, it is a part of the city where particular attention is given to the quality of the environment and the services provided for Philadelphians first and visitors second. Getting the public environment right for

l'lflMDIIl-P1Il.4 7'OURlSM RE1'ORT:

41 PRODuct

Philadelphians will secure the city's position as a great city and make it a great place for visitors as well.

A World Class Visitor Center, Current recommendations for a major new visitor center at or near the mall are to be applauded, Creation of a state-of-the·art visitor center for the National Historical Park and Philadelphia is a major opportunity, There is no model and Philadelphia can become a world leader in creating a visitor center that is in itself an attraction,

Maximize Riverfront Potential. The rivers are a marvelous resource for Philadelphia and one that is relatively under-utilized at the present time. Movement of the Maritime Museum is an important step in creating more of an attraction base at the water's edge, Penn's Landing District needs to be enhanced and tied more closely to the Historic District. At the same time, the opportunity exists to expand and enhance the Camden riverfront, the New Jersey State Aquarium and the new amphitheater, All of this riverfront development across the river could be captured and promoted as a part of the Philadelphia visitor experience, In addition river activity should be studied for further expansion such as ferry service to Fort Miflin and rejuvenation of the Waterworks, Should riverboat gambling be adopted by the state, it would change the entire dynamic on the river, however, because of the uncertainty of this issue we will not address it at this time.

Tourism Economic Model. An important part of understanding the effectiveness of tourism as economic development is to have measures of performance for the tourism products, In addition to simple recording of the number of visitors at each attraction, it is very important to understand who is coming to each of the attractions and what their reaction to the attraction and the City is, An important supporting element for effectively managing tourism product development is establishment of a research program, collection of base data and analysis through a relatively simple economic model in order to measure impact and performance of the tourism product.

Invent 'Project X': Philadelphians seem compelled to create some kind of a major new public attraction ", .. that will put Philadelphia on the map." There are a wide array of suggestions that mostly relate to "off the shelf" attractions already invented by other cities, Philadelphia has the opportunity to invent its own attraction unique to the City and to a particular site within the City. The recently announced plan for the National Constitution Center is certainly a project that could potentially have the draw of a Project X, would be uniquely Philadelphian and is well worth exploring further.

42 l'HllAD/!UIllA TOUlUSM R~'POR1'

PRODUCT

PRODUCT THREATS

Philadelphia has a substantial travel and tourism industry, The stated objective of the Mayor and major travel and tourism industry stakeholders is to encourage expansion and growth of the travel and tourism sector as a part of the city's overall economic development strategy, There are several threats to meeting that objective, These are described briefly in the paragraphs that follow:

Lack of Tourism Framework and Focus, The currently fragmented nature of the travel and tourism industry in Philadelphia is a clear threat to achieving the potential for success in tourism that everyone agrees is important. Creation of a strong, effective and leadership­oriented organization with a clearly focused mission and framework for development is what is needed,

Adversarial Relationship Between Stakeholders. The City, the National Park Service and other individuals and organizations need to become more effective members of a unified "tourism team", A new tourism organization and an all-new proactive, cooperative modis operandi involving all stakeholders is called for.

Demolition of Historic Buildings, Philadelphia has a rich and diverse history and, fortunately, there is a great deal of the historic fabric of the city in place, in terms of historic architecture and buildings, The preservation of the remaining historic buildings in Center City and, particularly in the Old City Historic District is absolutely essential.

I'lf1MIJELl'IllA TOliRISM /lEPORT:

43 PROllucr

Philadelphia Product Assessment

S.W.OoT. Analysis

STRENGTHS 1 WEAK}.'ESSES J OPPORTUNITIES

• National Attraction • Overall Quality Product • Change

• Name Recognition • Accountability • Quality Environment

• Old City Historic District • Parking • Visitor Center

• Location & Accessi bi lity in the • Cleanliness Image • Riverfront City

• Secondary Attractions & Great Restaurants

• Events

• \V ell Defined Visitor Districts

• Public Safety Image

o Signage

• Linkages

o INHP Visitors' Center

o Access to Large Regional Markets 0 Data & Research

o Potential for Grow1h o City/N!>S Relationship

o Economic Model

• Project X

I THREATS

• Lack ofFr<tIIIework & focus

• Adversarial Relationship

o Demolition of Historic Buildings

VISITOR ACCESS, CIRCULATION AND PARKING

The Access, Circulation and Parking diagram illustrates the key visitor approaches to Philadelphia, gateways into the City, routes til rough the City and parking facilities. Specific suggestions for enhancement are outlined below.

• Key approaches to Philadelphia:

1·95 North· New York 1-76 - Pennsylvania Turnpike 1·95 South - Washington -1-676 - New ,Jersey

I· 76 - Philadelphia International Airport

• Regional, visitor specific, directional signage on all major routes into the City

• Attractive, well designed and landscaped "gateways" 1-676/6th Street 1-676/15th 1-7611-676 1-676/7th 1-76/South Street 1-76/Ben Franklin Parkway 1-676/23rd

• Attractive, well signed vehicular routes linking to the visitor attractions and to designated visitor parking areas: 5th/6th Street Broad Street Market Street Ben Franklin Parkway Chestnut Street

• Well signed, convenient, attractive, safe, clean and reasonably priced (or free) visitor parking areas, Visitor Center, Independence Mall, and Front Street.

• Convenient, well displayed and easily readable visitor information and maps located within airport, train stations, bus terminal and parking areas

• Clearly marked visitor attractions within the context of local bus, subway and other people mover systems such as the Philly Phlash

PllJIADHLl'IlJA 1'OURISM REPORT:

45 PRODUCT

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VISITOR DISTRICTS

The Visitor District diagram illustrates the distinct visitor districts existing within Philadelphia and assists in understanding where concentrations of visitor activities occur and how existing linkages can be reinforced or new linkages formed to enhance the visitor experience and make better use of all the visitor resources of the city,

Understanding the uniqueness of each district, how it can be reinforced and enhanced, how its story can best be told to visitors and how it relates to the other visitor districts will assist in establishing a comprehensive visitor strategy for the entire area,

The visitor districts in the Center City of Philadelphia include:

Independence National Historic Park and Independence Mall Old City - Historic Mixed-use; Arts, Culture, Entertainment Society Hill - Historic Residential South Street - Entertainment

• Antique Row - Antiques/furnishings Market Street - Retail/Shopping

• Jeweler's Row - Jewelry Convention Center - Civic/mixed use Chinatown - Neighborhood Residential/Commercial/Entertainment City HaliNisitor Center - Civic Avenue of the Arts - Cultural/Performing Arts Penn Center - Office Ben Franklin Parkway - Arts and Culture Rittenhouse Square - Residential

• Penn's Landing - Waterfront/events • New Jersey Aquarium - Waterfront/attractions • Italian Market - (Not on Map) • Zoo - (Not on Map)

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Visitor Districts

VISITOR ATTRACTIONS AND LINKAGES

The Visitor Attraction and Linkage diagram illustrates the key visitor attractions within Philadelphia and the key pedestrian routes between them. The concentration of attractions on the east side of Philadelphia is evident and reinforces the focus of visitor activity.

Five and ten minute walking radii from key areas begin to define larger visitor areas based on pedestrian accessibility. The maximum comfortable walking distance between attractions is 5 to 10 minutes -. the "Visitor Domain".

The asterisks represent Philadelphia's top twenty viSitor attractions with attendance over 20,000 per year. The different colors differentiate between historic, cultural, and civic attractions.

The quality of the experience moving to and between the specific visitor attractions is an important part of the visitor experience:

• Pedestrian experience and the quality of the physical environment within each district and between districts.

• Other forms of linkage, such as special visitor transportation like the Philly Phi ash or standard public transport such as bus and subway.

• Pedestrian linkages between attractions should be well signed, safe, well lit in respect to night time use, clean and with attractive places and spaces in which to rest and reflect upon the visitor experience.

• Adequate public facilities along the visitor routes should be provided, such as information kiosks, food, beverage, toilets and litter receptacles.

• The route of the Philly Phlash illustrates how a visitor people mover can help to link up the separate visitor areas, districts and attractions. Frequency of operation, visibility, reliability, route legibility and cost are all key ingredients to a successful visitor transit system.

49 ['IllIADELPHIA TOURISM RW'OR1>

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Attractions & Linkages

VISITOR DOMAIN AND VISITOR CENTERS

Philadelphia's rich heritage is matched by an impressive array oftourism products and events. In assessing Philadelphia's tourism product in a macro sense, attention is immediately drawn to the intersection of Market Street and the Mall of the Independence National Historical Park. It is around this focal point that the most impressive array of tourism product is to be found along with linkages to other attractions and other areas within the city. It is also the area with the largest number of tourists. For strategic planning purposes, tllis is the "visitor domain" and the area within which tourism information and access is most important to the visitor. In the paragraphs that follow, the visitor domain is described in more detail along with brief descriptions of Philadelphia's two major visitor centers. The concept of a visitor center located in the Mall is explored along with a description of what the visitor center experience might be in a state-of-the-art facility. Finally, "Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center" is suggested as a major product development opportunity.

Philadelphia's Visitor Domain

The center of gravity, or focal point of tourism in Philadelphia, and the region, is to be found at the Liberty Bell -- the intersection of the Mall and Market Street As illustrated on the Visitor Domain & Visitor Center map that follows. most of the tourism products in that part of the city are found within a five or ten minute walk of the Liberty Bell. This five-ten minute walk zone is the area within which most visitors will feel comfortable walking and exploring. The ten minute walking radius is also used to define the boundary of the visitor domain in general terms.

As shown on the map, approximately three-fourths of the Independence National Historical Park is inCluded within the five minute walk zone and all of it within the ten minute zone. Importantly, virtually all of the Old Town Historic District and a portion of the Market Street retail corridor are included within the ten minute zone. The Convention Center, new Marriott Hotel, Chinatown, Penn's Landing and South Street are each just outside the 10 minute zone and with efforts at creating linkages can all realistically become a part of the visitor domain.

The visitor domain is not a "visitor ghetto". The visitor domain is the area where concentration and critical mass 01 tourism product and visitation occur within a city or destination area. It is the area within which the city should invest scarce resources to assure that the area works effectively for local residents and visitors alike. This means concentrating financial resources toward streetscape improvements, lighting, landscaping, graphic identification and signage, public safety and environmental services. It is within the visitor domain that particular attention and priority are given to product enhancement and development. San Antonio and Baltimore are two examples of cities which have successfully concentrated on their "Visitor Domain" and as a result increased tourism.

1'1ll1.AJJt'LJ>lllA TO/IRISh! RliJ'ORl':

51 PRO/lUeT

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PHILADELPHIA'S VISITOR CENTERS

The primary sources for visitor information are the Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center and the City of Philadelphia Visitor Center, The former is located at Third and Chestnut Streets, while the later is at JFK Boulevard and 16th Street. The Park Center focuses on tM National Historical Park while the City Center provides a wider range of information and service to both residents and visitors, Each is described briefly in the paragraphs that follow,

Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center

At Third and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia, a huge brick and glass edifice serves as the National Park Service's visitor center for Independence National Historical Park, home of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. The objective here is straightforward--to serve as the first stop for visitors to the National Park, Signs throughout the area guide new arrivals to the parking deck, since a majority of visitors arrive by car or bus,

The Visitor Center consists of two brick masses embracing a huge glass atrium space. One of the masses contains the Center's movie theaters, the other a gift shop and restroom facilities, A tower on the Third Street side contains the Bicentennial Bell, Great Britain's bicentennial gift to America, A small bronze model intended to orient blind visitors stands just outside the front door. The impression that one immediately feels is that the visitor center is purposely "non-historic."

Once inside, the visitor may turn to two desks for information: one exclusively for the National Park, the other with information for the entire region, A large sign reads: How to Plan Your Visit: 1) Obtain free "Independence Folder;" 2) See the orientation film; 3) Visit the historic buildings,

The "Independence Folder" is a pamphlet with a map and short descriptions of buildings within the one-square-mile area that the National Park Service maintains, The rangers and volunteers staffing the desk offer different "game plans" to meet the needs, mostly time constraints, of the individual visitor. Questions regarding things outside the National Park are directed to the other desk staffed and operated by the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau,

The orientation film is shown every thirty minutes in the Center's two theaters, While the film plays in one theater, visitors fill the other. A large electronic sign counts down the minutes to the next showing. The film is a dramatization of the important events that surround the history of the buildings within the National Park. Although the premise is good, "the haunted buildings alive with the spirit that founded this nation",," it is badly dated in places, especially the scenes that include the modern day visitor in Congress Hall. A number of interactive exhibits are located in the central atrium area, which a volunteer explained was intended to house the Liberty Bell. The atrium is currently home to a Bell Atlantic sponsored exhibit called "The Promise of Permanency," This exhibit consists of several "stations" that use TV

/'/llI.llOh·U'/IlA lVURlSM REPORT:

53 PROOliCT

and touch screen displays to highlight important issues and events such as "Roe v. Wade" and "Environmental Crisis." The exhibit was installed as part of the Constitution's bicentennial. An associated exhibit, "The Promise of Technology," occupies space under the observation balcony. Both of these exhibits are popular with school children, who, instead of raiding the information desks for brochures, engross themselves with pressing buttons and answering questions asked by the exhibit's computers.

According to a volunteer at the National Park Service desk, the visitor center accommodates up to 1 ,000 school children on a typical day in the spring months. In this capacity, the visitor center serves as a "base" from which school groups can start their day, go back to use the restrooms, then meet before boarding the bus.

Increasingly, the staff must offer assistance to foreign visitors. The National Park Service has responded by printing the "Independence Folder" in twelve languages, the newest additions being Arabic, Hebrew, Korean, and Polish. A list of interpreters is kept at the desk should someone with unique language needs require assistance.

When asked what makes this visitor center successful, a volunteer responded, "friendly, personal service and good maps." While the Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center is satisfying some of its objectives, updating certain aspects of the facility could greatly enhance the visitor's experience.

Philadelphia Visitor Center

This center is located in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, at the corner of 16th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. It is run by the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. The location of this facility is ideal in one sense; it is only a block from Philadelphia's City Hall, The biggest disadvantage to the Center's location is that Independence National Historical Park, the city's primary visitor destination, is a long hike away. This problem has been overcome to a certain extent by placing a full time city information desk within the Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center.

The building that houses the Visitors Center was constructed in 1961 as a "hospitality center" and has served that purpose ever since. About 1,000 square feet of space, or half of the ground floor, serves as the public area. A small gift shop and "box office" are located here as well. The annual operating budget of $660,000 covers the Center's information element, as well as the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau fulfillment center located in the basement. Space is the Center's primary obstacle. With only 4,000 square feet to work with, there isn't a lot of room to accommodate an orientation film, exhibits, and so on. The only interactive exhibit is titled "Do Your Own Heritage," which walks one through a series of questions on a touch screen, then delivers a description of heritage sites related to the visitor's interests.

54 Plfll.A.DEU'HlIl TOURISM REPOl1r,

1'I10D/!cr

According to staff, the Center provides a quick information stop for visitors, a typical visit lasting less than ten minutes. The mission of the Center is "to assist visitors and city residents with information on accommodations, attractions and events in the Greater Philadelphia region." The center has several small brochure displays offering such information, but the most important element in the facility is the semi-circular desk that occupies the middle of the pavilion. Here lies the heart of the operation--the mostly volunteer staff (about 85 percent) that answers phones, speaks with visitors, and points people in the right direction. An estimated three million visitors have come through the Center since 1961.

An increasing amount of the Center's function has been giving out information over the phone. A priority is to have current information about just about everything in and around Philadelphia. Along with an electronic "Rolodex" of information available to Center staff, a bulletin board in the office area keeps everyone up to date on changing exhibits, concerts, and special events. It is reported that the majority of people requesting information are from out of town, including families, conventioneers, and business people, a good portion of their phone work is devoted to keeping Philadelphians in touch with local activities. This is partly because the Center's phone number is listed as an information source in many local cultural advertisements. The Center has plans to double the capacity of its phone bank in order to keep up with the amount of calls, estimated at 250,000 last year alone. The staff is kept busy almost year round, with the only "down time" occurring six weeks before Christmas.

There are plans proposing the move of the existing City Visitor Center to a ground floor area in the City Hall after that building is renovated. According to City officials, the entire ground floor space will be devoted to "visitor services". This will include an expanded and enhanced visitor center along with services for local residents, I.e., permits, etc. The visitor center space is proposed to provide much needed storage space, a more functional visitor service area and an expanded gift shop. Other uses in the City Hall ground floor area include a proposed restaurant and an exhibit on Philadelphia's museums. Current plans call for the new center to be in operation by summer or fall of 1996.

It seems that the well informed and helpful staff at the Philadelphia Visitors Center can satisfy many visitor requests with one exception. Among the most frequently asked questions is "Where's the bathroom?" to which Visitor Center staff must humbly reply "I'm sorry, we don't have one."

A New Visitor Center at the INHP

The National Park Service is preparing a General Management Plan (GMP) for the National Historical Park in cooperation with the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. At the present time, the Park Service has developed a statement of "actions that are common to all alternatives". Specifically, it is stated that "in each alternative the Park, the Commonwealth and City will work together to improve delivery of pre-trip information to visitors". Several of the GMP alternatives incllJde recommendations for a new

PHlIAIJELPlIlA TOURISM REPORT:

ss PRO/weT

visitor center that may include a Regional History Center and Independence Institute. The important point is that if a new visitor center for the Independence National Historical Park is to occur, now is the time to begin planning so that such a facility can be programmed and made a part of the Park Service's General Management Plan.

Conceptually, the mission of a new visitor center would be to provide a welcoming, user­friendly, state-of-the-art experience that assists visitors by providing information, visitor services, access, interpretation, and direction designed to maximize enjoyment of the Park, the City and the region. The form and content of the center make it a state-of-the-art facility and an exciting attraction in its own right without competing with the primary attractions.

More specifically, the center should be designed and operated:

• To provide a welcoming and pleasing experience designed to influence the visitor:

- to participate in all aspects of the National Historical Park; - to visit the Old City Historic District; - to visit other Center City districts and attractions; - to visit regional communities, attractions and businesses; - to stay longer in Philadelphia and the region; and - to leave as satisfied visitors and goodwill ambassadors for the

National Historical Park, the city and the region.

• To provide an overnight destination focus for family, group and individual visitors that offers a wide array of heritage-centered entertainment, education and shopping opportunities.

• To provide a regional center for visitor information, reservations and ticketing.

• To develop and support cooperative local, regional and national planning, marketing and visitor enhancement initiatives.

The location of the proposed visitor center is subject to more detailed study once the concept is agreed. The preliminary study of alternative sites illustrated on the Visitor Domain and Visitor Center map suggests that a Mall location would be preferred.

• Best automobile and bus access; • Within five minute walk zone of Liberty Bell; • Excellent view of Mall and Constitutional Hall; • Close to other Park uses and/or the proposed Constitution Center; and • Potential to provide major new parking resource.

56 PlffLAIJJ!U'lflA roUlI.lSM II.EI'OII.1';

PII.ODUCT

The National Constitution Center

An ambitious concept plan has been prepared for "The Constitution Center: an experimental museum that will tell the story of American Democracy", The concept plan proposes that the center be located in the second block of the Mall (Site "9" on the map), The plan includes three major components: Historic Philadelphia Visitor Center, Constitution Center and the Liberty Bell Pavilion, Fund raising for the project has begun but negotiation of site control is incomplete, The NPS has not officially expressed its opinion and therefore, there are no firm dates for the project,

The Visitor Center Experience

Everyone is familiar with visitor centers and the consultant team has, over the past 20 years, visited literally hundreds of such facilities around the world, Probably the best known and the most helpful are the marvelous "Information Centers" found throughout the United Kingdom, These centers are easily identified by their prominent "i" that says it all: informationl Even the remotest village in Scotland has such a centre where one can secure not only information and directions, but interesting brochures and excellent maps designed to help the visitor find his or her way around the countryside, These centers seem always to Ilave a helpful and knowledgeable person available to assist the visitor,

In other parts of the world the one thing that Americans discover is that the host country anticipates their visit and is concerned that their visit be a success, As a result, most European and many Asian viSitor centers now provide English language information, directions, guidebooks and maps that are backed-up by multi-lingual staff, This is a lesson that American visitor centers are learning slowly and we have found only a dozen or so that work hard at helping the international visitor lacking faculty in the English language,

Two of the United States' better visitor centers are found at Charleston, South Carolina, and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. These two centers are described here because they have interesting features and there are lessons to be learned from their experience.

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston represents one of the successful small city public attractions in America. The Historic Old Town in and around the downtown core is what most people come to see. It is estimated that more than five million people visit Charleston annually and that just short of 500,000 come to the Charleston Visitor Center to begin their visit or as a part of the visit.

The Charleston Visitor Center opened in 1991 and is housed in an old railroad station. The property was acquired by the City of Charleston for $2.1 million and they invested another $13.4 million in renovation and construction, including two large parking lots. The center is operated by the Department of Visitor Services, which had an annual operating budget in excess of $700,000 until this year when it was reduced to $610,000. They have eight full­time employees and 35 part-time employees.

1'1l1l..1l!I;'U'IlIA lVURISM RI!N!RT:

57 PRO/JUeT

The Charleston Visitor Center provides most of the traditional visitor services and a few more. Upon arriving at the visitor center site, signage directs the visitor to a parking lot where you pay to park. On the two most recent occasions that we have visited Charleston, the parking lot was full to overflowing and we heard no complaints about having to pay. The signage as one enters the center is multi-lingual and the building has an air of quiet Southern charm and quality.

Upon entering the center proper, one comes to a model of the entire downtown area that is seen through a glass floor, so that one has the sense of experiencing the historic area from the air. Following this is a large, multi-screen video wall that continuously projects colorful and informative images of the city and its people. Ample restroom facilities are provided.

Behind the video wall is a large counter with an equally large sign indicating "Visitor Planning Services". Visitors come here to secure assistance in reservations for hotels or motels, to purchase tickets for area public attractions, to secure tickets for bus and horse-drawn coach tours, along with information and directions to virtually everything in the city and surrounding region. The counter is typically manned by four to six friendly, well-informed service representatives, several of whom are multi-lingual. In the room across from the information counter is a small lounge area with comfortable seating, good lighting and space where individuals or families can gather to talk about their visit and what they want to do. Several interactive video kiosks are in this area to assist the visitor and there is the traditional brochure rack with selected English and multilingual brochures.

The next element of the center is a small retail counter where one can purchase film, t-shirts and typical tourist items. In this same area is a replica of a facade of a traditional Charleston home and a large number of photographs of typical Charleston scenes. At the end of the room is a sales desk where tickets for a 20-minute multiple-image slide program can be purchased. A large digital clock and sign indicates when the "next show" is on. The slide-show typically draws a good crowd and after the show, visitors then wander back through the visitor center and out into the loading dock to catch transportation to tours or directly to other attractions. If they want to explore on their own, they can go out to their car and depart well-equipped with maps and brochures. When asked what visitors liked best about the visitor center, the response is " ... restrooms and the fact we can sell the tour and attraction tickets at our counter, along with reservation services for accommodations".

Having been in operation now for four years, they find that they would like to have more parking. A new 3,000 space garage is under construction and will be open by the end of 1995. This facility will be shared with the new Southern Bell Building located nearby.

The emphasis in Charleston is on personal service. In addition to the employees at the various counters and sales areas, there is always at least one person meeting and greeting people at the entrance, or within various parts of the facility. In terms of high technology, they have visitor planning kiosks, touch-activated visitor information computers, interactive video systems that provide the visitor with first-hand information and viewing of hotels, restaurants and public attractions in the area.

P1fllADELPIllA TOURISM REPORT:

58 PRODUCT

Kennedy Space Center, Spaceport USA

The visitor to the Kennedy Spaceport arrives first at a large parking lot immediately adjacent to "Spaceport Central", the visitor center and its leading element "Information Central", Spaceport Central and Information Central are what the visitor experiences first in visiting Spaceport USA. Together they are a large building space with dramatic lighting, interesting sets and a wide array of high technology designed to assist, inform and entertain the visitor,

Central to everything that goes on there is the main desk at Information Central, which is manned by two or more enthusiastic, friendly and well-informed service representatives, Essentially all other elements of the Spaceport USA experience are linked directly to this space by well-signed pedestrian paths to the Rocket Garden, the Gallery of Space Flight, the IMAX Theater, or other attractions. Food service and retail opportunities are located within the campus and the official tour buses are conveniently located, The whole operation works off of a central ticket pavilion located immediately behind Information Central.

The visitor's impression is one of visiting an incredibly large industry that is showcasing its technology, manufacturing techniques, products and the results of the use of the products. Spaceport/Information Central provides an excellent beginning to the Spaceport USA visit. It serves an estimated two million visitors annually.

Approaching the entrance to Spaceport Central, the visitor is officially greeted by a "Spaceman" in full spacesuit regalia. This is a tremendous hit with the kids and adults. Upon entering the facility, one is immediately directed to Information Central, where there is the option of personal service and clearly identifiable or visible high technology visitor information services. Most visitors seem to want to use both the information technology and the personal services. Within this area is vivid information on what is to be seen at Spaceport USA, what is free and what must be paid for. In addition, there is a separate counter with personnel to provide information and assistance on regional tourism attractions and facilities. This is operated by the Regional Tourism Association (a public/private organization).

The typical experience at Spaceport Central lasts 20 minutes or less, depending on whether the visitor goes to the Satellite Sky Theater to see a film on the Spaceport. Personnel at spaceport Central encourage people to get their tickets and have a good time. The emphasis is on getting people through the visitor center orientation as rapidly as possible and to the ticket pavilion.

One interesting aspect of the site visit was to experience how charter bus service is handled at Spaceport USA. Charter buses are encouraged to bring visitors to the entrance plaza for unloading and then the charter buses are parked at the far end of the parking lot, away from the automobile parking and pedestrian entrance. The charter buses then drive back to the entrance at the appointed time to pick up their guests. They do not linger at the main entrance.

59 I'HllADELl'lflA TOURISM Rl!I'ORT.'

I'RODUCT

LESSONS LEARNED

Years of experience and recent visits to a number of visitor centers and public and corporate attractions provide "lessons learned" that seem to have application to Philadelphia. These lessons are summarized as follOWS:

• The most important element is the attraction, not the visitor center. The primary focus is to get as many visitors as possible informed and into the National Park, Old City Historic District, Center City, and the region.

• strong central theme. "Heritage" provides a strong and understandable theme. The visitor center experience builds on this theme constantly while providing options, variety and surprises· "The Philadelphia EXperience •• Bringing History to Life".

• The visitor center as an attraction. The visitor center should be a model for the tourism industry, but it must not overshadow the National Park or in any way divert visitors away from the Park or Center City attractions. The visitor center should be an integrated part of the visitor experience.

• There is no national or international visitor center model for Philadelphia. Philadelphia can become a leader in visitor center development.

• Quality personal service. The visitor center team is friendly, welcoming, helpful, courteous, knowledgeable, and memorable.

• Interactive high technology communication systems are "generational" in content and oriented to single rather than multiple visitor use. For example, the National Park Service (NPS) stresses the importance of personal service in its visitor centers. They are forced to use lower cost technology when budgets for trained personnel are cut.

• Visitor services. Many visitor centers are now expanding services to provide bookings/reservations for other attractions, tours, hotels, and restaurants. This should be an important part of the new visitor center.

• Availability of information. The center should have comprehensive and easily accessible information. Not just a brochure rack. Multi-lingual information is a necessity.

• Quality of experience. The visitor center/National Park/City image is perceived well beyond Philadelphia. in its advertising, its signage, and its linkages to State and regional attractions and other visitor centers. Within the visitor center, National Park, Old City Historic District, and Center City everything is importantl

60 PlIIUDIILI'IlIA TOURISM REPORT,

PRODUCT

• Quality makes a difference. Success of the visitor center will be measured by the quality of the space, the environment, the service staff and the visitor experience.

• Exhibit design should be given equal status to building and interior architecture. The visitor experience within the structure should drive the design process.

• The Management Team needs to participate in the design and development process. The visitor center management team should be created at an early date in order to participate in the planning. design and development process.

• International visitors are a growth market. International visitors to the US have increased steadily for four decades. Dramatic growth is projected through the balance of the 1990's and beyond. The visitor center should be designed and operated to encourage foreign visitation.

THE VISITOR CENTER AS AN ATTRACTION

An objective of the visitor center that has been consistently supported by Philadelphia stakeholders is that it be something special -. " .. , an attraction in its own right", Creating something special is clearly important, however, striking a balance between the provision of high quality visitor services and the "attraction" component is critical. The visitor center focus must be on efficiently and effectively moving visitors from their cars and buses to the National Park. Old City Historic District and Center City. This is the most important function of the visitor center. The visitor center must not be so good that people can feel that a half hour spent there satisfies their need to visit the Park and the City.

In summary, the "visitor center as an attraction" really means a visitor center that is carefully designed to attract and entice the visitor, to provide a high level of comfort and most of all to provide high quality personal services for information, direction and access to local attractions, facilities, hotels and restaurants. The supporting exhibitry should be designed specifically to entice and compel the visitor to take the tours and to get equally excited about opportunities throughout the city and region. A quality place and quality service personnel are the primary ingredients of a great visitor Center experience.

61 Pflll.1DhU>[(L11VUR1S~f REPORT.'

PRODUCT

PHILADELPHIA'S INDEPENDENCE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VISITOR CENTER

The concept articulated in the above title is just a beginning -- an idea to be pursued. The concept of a facility that is the product of a new partnership brings the National Park Service, City, State, and private interests together in an innovative and creative process designed to facilitate Philadelphia's emergence as an international visitor destination.

The new visitor center is not "the" solution to enhancing Philadelphia's status as a successful visitor destination. It can make a difference by focusing the spotlight on the National Historical Park and the city and reinforcing the critical mass of tourism product. Ultimately, major reinvestment in the National Park is essential along with continued development and investment in the Old City Historical District and its attractions as well as the attractions in the balance of Center City. Development of the Constitution Center would further strengthen the critical mass of tourism product in the visitor domain.

In the balance of this section, a brief description of the visitor center elements is presented in a very conceptual and diagrammatic fashion in order to begin the concept development process. This is supported by several illustrations of other visitor centers being designed to also become state-of-the-art facilities. A number of current and longer term visitor center issues are outlined and the section concludes with an action plan -- the next steps required to move "Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center" into a planning and development mode.

Visitor Center Elements

The content and linkages model diagram that follows illustrates in very preliminary and general terms the major program elements within the proposed visitor center and the important linkages to the Philadelphia tourism product -- Independence National Historical Park, Old City Historic District, Center City retail, restaurants, Convention Center, arts and attractions, as well as Penn's Landing, the New Jersey Aquarium and the associated ferry rides, events and attractions that exist there.

At this early conceptual stage it is premature to present the creative content for the proposed visitor center. For initial discussion purposes, it is important to deal with the basic program elements that include:

• Gateway linkages connecting the airport, railroad station and interstate highways to Center City and the drop off and parking facilities for the new center.

• Linkages to Center City retail shops and Convention Center, as well as other visitor domain districts and neighborhoods.

• Reception plaza -- a drop off zone for both automobile and bus passengers as well as pedestrians.

62 PIllMDEU'IllA rOIiRlSM REPORT:

l'RODIiCT

• An inviting and interesting entrance to a building that is an architectural attraction as well as a functional visitor center.

• A major space designed to be welcoming, while at the same time, efficiently providing information, ticketing and reservations -- a visitor services center.

• Restrooms

• Lounge and refreshment area

• Philadelphia exhibits

• Independence National Historical Park exhibits

• Regional exhibits

• Theater(s)

On the following two pages are illustrations of visitor centers currently being planned in Corning, New York, and in Columbus, Georgia. In Corning, a new region-serving visitor center is the new focal point of an approximately $43.0 million re-investment and updating of the Corning Glass Center. In Columbus, Georgia, the new visitor center will become the focal point of the proposed RiverWorks mixed use attraction at that city's new RiverWalk.

PJllIAJ)f!l.PHlA TOl)R1SM Rlil'i)RT:

63 PROm)c)'

Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center Content and Linkages Model

.,/

/ / ----.L

{ \

Old City Historic District

Attractions

R~staurallts

Retail

" "

Gateways

--.,.

Penn's tanding NJ St,lte Aquarium

- Events -Attr"dions " \ \ C(~nter City

Retail Restaurants I

Arts Independence

National Historical

Park

Attractions / Entertainment

Welcome Information

Ticketing Reservations

--~ ,/

Visitor Center

Regional Attractions/ Businesses

/

Preliminary Costing

Without a preliminary program or plan costing of the proposed joint visitor center is problematic at best. What is needed now is a reasonable "ballpark" estimate that can be used in discussing the feasibility of Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center. A state-of-the-art facility can probably be developed in 25,000-35,000 square feet on a high visibility and accessible site with convenient and adequate parking. The cost estimates that follow are for the visitor center building and its contents only. No allowance is made for site acquisition or development or for parking. The three alternative development scenarios outlined below provide a range of size and cost variables. For discussion purposes, a 30,000 square foot facility with development costs of about $350 per square foot for a discussion budget of about $10.5.

A

25,000 SF @ $325-375/SF

'" $8.1 - 9.4M

Visitor Center Issues

B

30,000 SF @$325-$375/SF = $9.8 - 11.3M

C

$35,000 SF @ $325-$375/SF = $11.4 - $13.4M

Early in the concept development and pre-development feasibility phases of the process leading to a new visitor center are a number of issues that need to be carefully considered. Initial issues to be addressed are outlined below. As the process progresses, many other issues will also emerge. The important thing is that issues be dealt with early in the process so that there will be no "surprises" at the end of the planning process.

What is the preferred location? What is the relationship to Constitution Center? Who will own and manage the center? Visitor center name and image? Timing of development? Is the visitor center free? What is the balance between "personal service" vs. "high-tech service"? How important is regional participation? What are the funding sources for the visitor center -- City, State, Federal and private? Other issues to be identified.

J>ll1MIJELJ>lfIA TOURISM Rlil'ORl':

67 I'R01>//CT

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This section of the report has focused on Philadelphia's tourism product with emphasis on the downtown and the newly defined "Visitor Domain". Within the broader strategic planning context, there are a number of conclusions and recommendations derived from the tourism product assessment. These are outlined in the paragraphs that follow.

Conclusions

Philadelphia is first and foremost a great city! While it has experienced difficulties in the past, it has made a remarkable recovery and its commercial center, residential neighborhoods, districts, retail center, convention center, and impressive array of educational, arts and cultural facilities makes it one of America's most inviting and liveable cities.

An important part of the city is its primary tourism product and nationally recognized attraction .- the Independence National Historical Park. The park should not be considered a stand-alone attraction since it is an integral part of the city, both physically and historically. The Old City Historic District, in particular, has the potential to reinforce and support the National Park in order to make both important and interesting places to visit. While there are many attractions in Philadelphia, the Independence National Historical park is the major attraction.

Philadelphia tourism suffers from a lack of critical mass of tourism product. The fact that a significant portion of the visitors to the Independence National Historical park do not stay overnight is an indication that the broader tourism product is not of a size and quality to hold visitors overnight, much less for several days. Product development and enhancement must be given high priority in the years ahead if Philadelphia is to achieve its potential as an international destination city.

Philadelphia is strategically located in the mid-Atlantic region and is well served by interstate highways, Amtrak and regional rails service, and an international airport. Creation of a stronger, better marketed tourism product should produce a positive market response from the Philadelphia area, the region, nationally, and internationally.

Philadelphia has an excellent new convention center, excellent existing and new hotel accommodations and a growing reputation as a "great restaurant town". The importance of business and convention visitors should not be forgotten. Every business and convention visitor should also experience the Independence National Historical Park, Old City Historic District and other attractions.

Within a ten minute walk from the Liberty Bell is an impressive array of visitor attractions --50 or more, including those in the park itself. This concentration and critical mass is effectively linked by an excellent street grid that includes a number of alleys and paths through city blocks. The linkages are further reinforced by an excellent public transportation system and the new Ph illy Phlash.

68 PHlLAIIl:.'UHfA TOURISM REPOR7:'

PROIlUCT

With its multitude of public attractions and its numerous "districts", Philadelphia is sometimes perceived to be confusing. On the other hand, the "visitor domain" which includes the area within a ten minute walk from the Liberty Bell has the potential to be quite comprehensible and easily accessed. The problem rests in the lack of effective and coordinated visitor assistance in showcasing the National Park, the city and the region.

Recommendations

Based on the above conclusions and an understanding of the how visitors currently arrive in Philadelphia, how they move through the city, the visitor districts and attractions and the quality of the linkages between them, a variety of opportunities emerge that could help to improve the overall visitor experience. Specific recommendations include:

1. Organize and prioritize investment in visitor product enhancement and development in Philadelphia's primary 'Visitor Domain ': This comprises all of the Independence National Historical Park and the Old City Historic District. This should be the focus of attention for tourism product development and management for at least the next five years.

Obtain agreement on the terms of the General Management Plan (GMP) for Independence National Historical Park now in the final phases of preparation. Encourage accelerated implementation of GMP Plan recommendations for enhancement of National Park attraction and supporting infrastructure.

Improve the public environment within the Old City, encourage reuse of existing buildings and new infill development. The National Constitution Center has set forth a number of very interesting ideas for improvements around the Park in its paper "Making Full Use of Philadelphia's History". The implementation of these and other ideas would act as additional tourist attractions.

Improve and enhance the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing - Introduce activities into the space that will encourage visitor use of the riverfront throughout the day and night especially during non-event times.

In the INHP and Visitor Domain create a Business Improvement District similar to Center City Management, Inc. for the Visitor Domain area and encourage activities that bring history to life such as Historic Philadelphia.

Continue to conceptualize and develop ideas for the proposed "Project X" attraction. This could, in fact, be the proposed Constitution Center or a major new attraction invented specifically for Philadelphia and located in or around the primary visitor domain.

69 Pfl1J.ADEf.P1lJA TOURISM REPORT:

l'ROD(I~'1'

2. Plan and build "Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center~ Specific actions include, but are not limited to the following:

Agreement that the concept of a visitor center at the INHP should be pursued by Philadelphia's public and private leadership.

Form a meaningful partnership to initiate and see the project through.

Agree on project ownerShip and management.

Secure funding for pre-development feasibility and concept development.

Define and assign project leadership and management responsibility. Select preferred site location for visitor center.

Commission creative program design in advance of site and architectural planning.

Commission area/site urban design, facility architecture and cost estimates.

Secure capital and operating funding.

Implement the plan.

3. Improve and enhance the linkages between attractions and districts. The creation of useful linkages between attractions and city districts very often involves simply the designation of the route through the installation of appropriate signage, lighting, streetscapellandscape improvements or other means. Specific actions in Philadelphia include:

Between The National Park and Penn's Landing. Encourage uses on each side of the bridge connections over 1-95 to activate the links and make them more interesting.

Between The National Park and South Street through Society Hill.

Between The National Park and The Mall and Old City.

Between The Mall and Chinatown. Between Market Street and Chinatown, especially to the Chinese Gate.

Between Market Street and the Convention Center.

J>JlllADELPHlA 1'QOIllSM REPORt:

70 I'ROOOCt

4. Improve public infrastructure to support expanded tourism industry. The focus of infrastructure investment, both new and upgraded, should be within the "visitor domain". However, there are a number of access related infrastructure improvements that need to be made throughout the Philadelphia area in order to enhance the visitor experience.

Provide directional signage to designated visitor car and bus parking areas that serve specific attractions or districts and enhance the routes to these areas. The perception is there are no designated visitor car parks. However, there are two parking areas within the Independence National Historic Park Area that visitors are encouraged to use. They need to be made more accessible.

Provide additional accessible, affordable, or free visitor parking.

Improve and enhance visitor parking areas to make them safe, clean and provided with sufficient information to guide visitors to the specific attractions.

Improve and enhance the existing Park Squares and encourage facilities that will make them attractive to visitors:

Franklin Square - Improve as an important gateway into the city, as an open space resource for the Chinatown community and link to Independence Mall and the new Visitor Center.

Washington Square - Reinforce as community open space, and setting for Center of Black Social Gathering, link to Independence Hall and Visitor area.

Rittenhouse Square - Reinforce as neighborhood open space.

Logan Circle - Enhance and improve as open space, focus for museum area, make more pedestrian accessible and provide uses to attract visitors.

Improve and enhance the pedestrian routes from the visitors parking areas to the attractions.

Improve and enhance the quality of the pedestrian environment along Ben Franklin Parkway. Upgrade quality of walkways, street furniture, lighting and landscaping. Introduce new uses to articulate edges.

Provide visitor information facilities at airport, train and bus stations.

Improve and enhance the quality of Philadelphia's "Visitor Gateways".

71 1'lI11AlJHPlllA 1'OIIRISM REI'ORr:·

PRO/JUeT

Provide better highway signage identifying the key visitor routes into the city as they relate to specific attractions or districts. The only reference to attractions within the regional highway network is the Interstate 95 sign that announces Independence Hall via 1-676.

PllILilDBLI'HlA TOURISM REPORT:

72 PRODUCT

Improve and Enhance Environment -----1

along Ben Franklin Parkway

logan CIrcle: Improvll and EnMnc;e Enlflronmtlnt

R"lnfOfU LinUgIStt E.tabfJ~ Vi.i\or UN •• nd F,.cl!i\:.

Ind'pendence MaJl btalllhlih N"w Joint Vl&}tor CerUf' p(O\Ifd" Addtuou,l 'I'i::.lltot' C.r and eu5 ?.ukIfl6

E6;abh9h Him Publlo Glltnenng SP"~ Enhanolil' Unk.aeelll to Ind'pen.denu ~II

Franklin 5q~ar6 ---------- -1 Improw _net! Enh.lnC4 Environment Rmnforulinkollg. to IndepediSftUI Mall and NewVleit« Cen~ Relnforu Ljn~ to Chln.at.own

Improve Links into Chinatown

PhiladelQhia Tourism Parter International. Inc. LDR International. Inc . Madigan Pratt & Associates D«:embet I 91-J4

R:tttennouse Square Improwr altd Enhanu EnvirOt'lInant

StranstM,," LinbieH

City Hall - - ---- -------1 Improw and E"luutu Envlronmltl'lt N,sw V18itor c."~r In Groun.:! L..wI of City

fIoll

Washington Square ------~ ... ImP""'" .aN;! Enhance Envlf'Of\""'l¢ fstlTf'ort;., Linbg. toO Irtdep"'ndltl\c.J Part htaWle2'I ill. Um'- of egc~ 5or;U1

G.athering

1m prove LI nk~ to South S.",et from ___ --l-

Indepena.nce Park thro~9h Society Hill

Old CIty lmpt'(ffi.t II\d Etlf1anc", Er~ironrt1iSnt Enc:oul"a4e RIt'-u!U of' Exi5t!110 6ul1dlng5 Pl'OVfdl!: New inti!! O~laflnent 0ppo.tunrtie, R.!IfrrfC'rolil' U"bg,,5 'to fndlil'~enG6 M;SI f! F'l:rk,. an.:! RfverfroP'lt

1 676

~ • .:::!~i-:~r-';;:,::J;!ir'+~f- Penn. Landing ~Infon:e UnotH ,fGf"C)tIe ~t.ate ~ Opportunrtrel!l for NIfW ~Iopmenc. on Each Side of III'WI"SUte t:o Crellttl: ActM u,'

Visitor Opportunities

VI. TOURISM MARKETING ASSESSMENT

BACKGROUND

When compared to comparable U.S. cities, Philadelphia has had a fairly late start in the marketing of tourism. Many other cities were heavily dependent on one or two industries or companies for employment and tax revenues. When one of these industries suffered a significant downturn or decided to relocate, it caused a major disruption in the community and required immediate action and a coordinated response. In many cases that led city leaders to turn toward tourism.

One of the key factors contributing to Philadelphia's late start was the fact that the City had a diversified industry base. The slow departure of relatively small companies failed to send a loud enough wake-up call through the community. It was not until many of these smaller firms departed that concerns were raised, and by then the country was in the middle of a recession and the city was in the middle of an economic crisis. This in turn hampered efforts to mount a serious tourism marketing effort.

Also contributing to the City'S late start into tourism was the fact that the hotel industry was not as well developed in Philadelphia as in other destinations. Few of the major chains had properties in the City, and the total number of rooms was comparatively low. In addition there were not many other major players in the tourism and travel industry with a presence in Philadelphia.

At the same time reports of a million plus visitors annually to Independence National Historical Park gave the impression that the City did have a somewhat successful tourism effort. Subsequent studies showed, however, that the vast majority of these visitors were "day-trippers," individuals that provided relatively minor economic contribution to the City as compared to the overnight hotel visitor.

A review and analysis of the history of tourism marketing efforts of the City can be judged as lacking when compared to those of successful tourism destinations. Philadelphia's tourism efforts did not have:

1. A coordinated and highly focused organization behind it.

2. A unique positioning integrated into all marketing efforts.

74 I'lflfAI)ELl'IlIA TOURISM "EPOR1,

MAR.KIlTINO

3. A consistent marketing and promotional funding mechanism.

4. Substantial research on the customer, prospects, competition and the effectiveness of various marketing endeavors.

In other words, the City has not had many of the attributes necessary for a successful tourism marketing program.

There has been a noticeable heightening of interest and activity in the past year in increasing the awareness of Philadelphia as a world class vacation destination. To succeed in that endeavor that interest must continue to grow, build into a tangible and aggressive marketing program and be sustained over a long period of time.

STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS

In assessing the marketing of the City of Philadelphia to extended stay vacationers numerous strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats have been identified. Each item plays a role in determining the image of the City and provides some direction in terms of how Philadelphia should be marketed in the future. While the City does have significant strengths it also possesses numerous weaknesses.

From a marketing perspective, perhaps the greatest weaknesses for the City of Philadelphia center around two particular items:

• Lack of Marketing Focus - Proper positioning is a fundamental marketing principle. Philadelphia has not provided potential vacationers with a clear proposition as to why they should consider vacationing in the City.

Michael Porter states that there are two ways to achieve sustainable competitive advantage - by being the low cost producer or through differentiation. By doing neither, as is the case with Philadelphia tourism, an entity becomes "stuck in the middle." This is a decidedly unprofitable place to be.

• Inadequate Marketing Funding - Philadelphia has not provided adequate marketing funding to support any kind of impactful tourism oriented promotional program. By having a virtually inaudible voice in the highly competitive tourism arena, the City fails to achieve awareness among potential vacationers at the time when they are making their vacation destination decisions. As a result, the City is rarely among the considered set of alternatives by either the traveling

PlfllADELPlllA TOURISM REPORT:

75 MARKETING

public or the travel trade.

The marketing landscape is littered with failed companies, products and destinations that were unable or unwilling to provide adequate or consistent promotional funding. There are few products that have proven to be consistently successful over a long period of time that were insufficiently or erratically funded.

Unfortunately, particularly with governmental entities such as states counties and cities, tourism marketing funding rarely has sufficient continuity. The groups or individuals controlling the funds change on a regular basis and often have very different priorities, all too often resulting in erratic tourism promotion spending, Even the venerable New York State program is an example of this process and New York suffered significant tourism share loss when it severely diminished funding for its highly successful and popular, "I Love NY" campaign, In an interview after his recent gubernatorial election defeat Mario Cuomo listed as one of the two most important mistakes and regrets of his term as governor, his reduction of the funding for the "I Love NY" tourism promotion campaign.

While there are attractions of great historical and cultural significance in the City, they Ilave not been consistently positioned or promoted, As a result of the vacuum left by minimal efforts to promote Philadelphia and its attractions, vacationers and the travel trade have come to believe that the historical attractions in Philadelphia are at parity, rather than superior to those of other cities - specifically Boston and Baltimore.

The following chart sets forth what we believe to be the City's most significant strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats as they pertain to marketing factors which affect tourism to Philadelphia. The section following the chart describes these various factors and how they relate to increaSing extended stay tourism to Philadelphia. The product section of this report contains a similar S.W.O.T. analysis as it relates to product issues. While there is some overlap, the S.W.O.T. analysis for marketing deals with how Philadelphia is perceived.

l'IllLADEJ,PlllA TOURISM REPORT:

76 MARRl!11NG

STRENGTHS

• Philadelphia Has A Good Product

• Special Events

• Acti velS upporti ve Private Sector

• New Convention Center

• Convention & Visitors Bureau

• Mayor Rendell

• Safety

• Sports

• Easy Acces,s

Philadelphia Marketing Assessment

S.W.O.T. Analysis

1 WEAKNESSES

• 1{ezatiye Image. As.A VacaTIon DeStmatlOn

• Special Events

• Safety Image

• Very Little Research

• Negative Local Attitude

• No Consumer Demand

• Tourism Has Not Been A Priority

• Lack Of Strong Marketing Partner

• Limited P acka ging

• Cityft!ational J.>ark . ServIce RelatIOnship

• Attraction Competition

• Decentralized Tourism Marketing

• Emerging From Financial Crisis

• Easy Access

lOPPORTlJN1TIES

• Opportunity to Redefine Esla blish Itself

• Tourism ''New News"

1 THREATS

• Increased C ompeti ti on

• Philadelphia Phenomenon

Note:

It is possi bl e for an indi vidual attribute to be both a strength and a weakness at the same time, as is the case with Special Events, I Safety and Easy Access.

I

MARKETING STRENGTHS

From a vacation destination perspective, Philadelphia does possess a long list of strengths. It is also true that the City has significant weaknesses that are limiting its ability to be thought of as a truly first class destination city worthy of more that "just a few hours stay." In some cases certain attributes, such as Independence National Historical Park and the National Park Service can be considered simultaneously as both a strength and a weakness.

Tilis section of the report will serve to describe Philadelphia's strengths from a marketing perspective. In those instances where a particular attribute is also considered a weakness, that too will be detailed in this section.

• Philadelphia Has Good Product - The fact that Philadelphia was ranked as the third most livable place in the United States (out of 343 cities) by the "Places Rated Almanac", attests to the fact that it possesses the right environment to sustain a quality tourism product. As of the writing of this report Philadelphia boasts a substantial number of attractions and events that can provide vacationers with a memorable and quality vacation experience and which can be marketed effectively.

As the "Product" section of this report indicates the attractions and events in Philadelphia are rich and diverse.

Beginning with Independence National Historical Park, and continuing on through the City's museums, performance halls, art galleries, architecture, world class restaurants, Penn's Landing and the 60-70 events held in Philadelphia year-round, the City has a wealth of vacationer attractions. (And this represents only a few of the highlights).

Unfortunately, Independence National Historical Park, a limited piece of what the City has to offer and an attraction which currently can be seen in a relatively brief span of time has come to epitomizes the essence of what Philadelphia has to offer vacationers. It is the consultant's view that this has come about as a result of two factors:

Limited promotional attempts to expand the City's image beyond Independence National Historical Park.

A park visitors' center that is poorly situated and fails to excite individuals about other offerings beyond the Park.

PIJILAl)BLPIllA WI)RlSM REPORT:

78 MARKlirING

Many of the individuals interviewed for purposes of this report argued that tourism in the City has been hurt because the National Park Service is not promotionallyoriented. However, despite the fact that the National Park Service has concentrated on its remit of preservation and accurate interpretation of historical facts, this has not precluded the City from undertaking efforts to promote itself and various attributes vacationers can experience. Indeed the efforts of Historic Philadelphia have begun to "Bring History to life" in the manner so many of the Philadelphians interviewed wanted.

• Special Events - Although touched upon in the previous section, it is worth noting that Philadelphia does have an exceptionally rich mixture of special events programs throughout the year. The calendar of events shows that there is something taking place every weekend - with a multitude of events occurring during the spring, summer and fall periods. The Mummers Parade, Army-Navy Game, Flower Show, Welcome America, River Jam, Yo Philadelphia, President's Week, Jazz Festival are but a few of the special events.

While having a consistent flow of events can be advantageous, it is a mistake to place an overwhelming percentage of time and budget on creating event after event. These events consume enormous amounts of money and often take a toll on volunteer staff. Having events Should not be confused with developing a planned, expanding and vibrant tourism initiative. Tourism - the kind that leads to significant economic development in a destination is Significantly broader and more complex than planning and executing events.

For the most part, since funds for Philadelphia's events are usually limited, the vast majority of money and effort is placed behind organizing and conducting the event. Consequently, promotional activity to support events is usually sparse, resulting in limited exposure to potential vacationers. Most of the exposure received is confined within the local area.

Many destinations are noted for one or two major highly publiCized events such as New Orleans and Mardi Gras, Charleston and Spoleto, Pasadena and the Rose Bowl/Parade, Augusta and the Masters and Indianapolis with the IndianapOliS 500. The festivities related to these events continue for a number of days. These events not only attract large numbers of extended stay vacationers from throughout the U.S. and even abroad, but they also help to define the destination and draw attention to its other attributes throughout the year.

79 PHIIADliU'llIA TOURISM REPORT,

MAJlf(h'TING

We believe that Philadelphia does have an opportunity to more clearly establish a place in the national event consciousness with Welcome America! or, possibly in the future, with a Philadelphia Festival of the Arts. The yet to be developed Philadelphia Festival of the Arts, should it accomplish its impressive and substantial goals and objectives, would have the potential to attract significant numbers of extended stay visitors by becoming a force similar to the well-known European arts festivals. However, for either the Arts Festival or Welcome America to become an important component in making Philadelphia a destination City they will require significantly more promotional activity than Welcome America has received in the past to broaden their ability to attract extended stay visitors. Another difficulty confronting 'Welcome America' is that so many cities have July 4th events themselves. While they do not compare to ' 'Welcome America', they do keep many potential tourists at home.

To date individual events in Philadelphia have, for the most part. been developed and organized independent of one another. This lack of synergy prevents the collective events program from providing an impact on tourism to the city that is greater than the sum of the impact of the individual events.

• Active/Supportive Private Sector - According to individuals interviewed, Philadelphia does have an active and supportive private sector that has worked with government to assist in a wide range of tourism related initiatives, including special events. On several occasions it was expressed that the Mayor can be very persuasive in motivating the private sector to contribute funds and manpower for worthwhile projects. It was also stated that requests for contributions came from numerous different sources.

Some concern has been expressed by those who have been active supporters that the City does risk achieving "Donor Burn-Out," and, in fact, this issue was raised in qUite a few interviews. It is important for corporations, foundations and individuals that are asked for funds to understand how their contributions fit into an overall plan for developing Philadelphia into a destination city.

• New Convention Center Complex - The new Pennsylvania Convention Center along with the Reading Market and the new Marriott Hotel have rejuvenated the downtown area and helped serve to heighten interest in increasing overnight vacationer stays.

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Indications are that the community considers the Convention Center to be a successful entity and indeed early reports indicate it is living up to its booking expectations. As noted in an earlier section of this report one of the major problems with Philadelphia historically had been the lack of adequate hotel space. The Convention Center has already been important to tourism because it was instrumental in attracting the new Marriott Hotel.

• Convention & Visitors Bureau - With the new convention center, Philadelphia's CVB chose to place the vast majority of its fiscal and manpower resources over the past several years behind booking meetings and conventions to ensure the center's success. The CVB has established itself as a professional organization which has done a credible job in the convention market through an emphasis on direct sales contact with very little media exposure.

Promotional support at the CVB for the vacationer market has come primarily through the use of a national public relations program and event development. As a result of an active CVB public relations effort, Philadelphia has received extensive coverage over the past few years in newspapers all across America. Unfortunately, much of this was one-shot coverage which was not followed up with any advertising or promotional support. Research has shown that single exposure of a message is usually inadequate. Additionally, Philadelphia received coverage in cities that were as far away as California where the likelihood of residents taking a vacation in the City is low. In the future emphasis should be placed on multiple exposure in closer markets which should prove more effective in attracting extended stay vacationers.

The CVB has been supportive of developing, expanding and improving special events, however, as pointed out previously, overall marketing and promotional support for events has been insufficient to broaden their appeal to markets outside the City.

• Mayor Rendell - The consensus among those interviewed was that the Mayor is the "best thing" that has happened to Philadelphia recently. This opinion was held concerning many different aspects of the City - not just tourism. For instance, the fact that Philadelphia's fiscal situation has improved will benefit tourism. At the same time Mayor Rendell is a very dynamic individual, interested in getting things done and is a tireless promoter of the City.

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The mayor recognizes the value vacationers possess for providing economic stimulus to the City and last year established a Hospitality Cabinet in order to provide additional focus on the tourism industry. Recently, the Hospitality Cabinet requested and received funding from the Mayor to conduct a much needed quantitative perceptual research study on the City. In addition the City has been very supportive of the Philly Phlash, and Historic Philadelphia, just two examples of positive movement in attempting to improve Philadelphia as a tourist destination.

• Safety - Philadelphia is tile country's fifth largest city and it ranks twelfth overall in terms of crime, a fact that is often quoted in conversations and sometimes can be found in promotional literature. Philadelphia along with organizations such as the Center City District have made efforts to increase actual as well as perceived safety, including improving lighting in the downtown area.

Even so, research exists indicating that the overwhelming opinion of the city is that it is unsafe. This may be in part a result of the fact that much of the news about Philadelphia concerns issues of crime. Many of the Philadelphian's interviewed Ileld the opinion that the news media in the City over-emphasized and sensationalized local crimes. Indeed, one of the Peirce Report's recommendations to the local media with which we whole-heartedly agree was, "Reconsider your reliance on reports and images of violence to fill your pages and broadcasts."

Indepth one-on-one research of vacationers who had visited Philadelphia, conducted specifically for this report and previous studies of vacationers indicates that Philadelphia must continue to work on its "safety" image and must make physical changes to improve safety. Philadelphia vacationers complain about the dark/deserted streets at night, the lack of pedestrians and the number of homeless people - ali of which made visitors feel unsafe and uncomfortable. Visitors also complained about the lack of good directional sign age - primarily because they didn't want to, "end up in a section of town that was not safe."

• Sports - In the interviewing process, Philadelphia was cited as being a good sports town attracting people from outside the immediate metropolitan area. While this may be conventional wisdom, no research was found as to the extent of these visitations and the degree to which sporting events contributed to overnight stays.

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82 MARJ'.1!TING

• Easy Access - There was general agreement among those interviewed that Philadelphia is a City that is easy to get to. At the same time, however being easy to get to also makes it easy for visitors to leave and continue their trip to another destination or to simply return home.

MARKETING WEAKNESSES

While Philadelphia has significant strengths when it comes to tourism, it also has some significant weaknesses. Fortunately, the City's weaknesses do not appear to be insurmountable and, in the opinion of the consultants, Philadelphia's weaknesses are less significant than many other urban destinations. The following will outline the most significant marketing related weaknesses as they pertain to developing and sustaining a viable tourism industry in Philadelphia:

• There Is Very Little Research - As discussed earlier in the Data & Research section, the City of Philadelphia has very little usable research from which to make informed marketing decisions. There is little knowledge of who is coming, why they are and what could induce them to return. At the same time, little is known about who is not coming, why not and what it would take to make them consider visiting the City for an overnight hotel stay. (The State of Florida, in a quest to better understand why their tourism figures are declining recently commissioned an extensive study specifically designed to determine why potential vacationers are not coming.)

Having good marketing research is imperative in today's competitive environment. In addition to better understanding the City's target audience, demographically, geographically and psychographically marketing requires an ability to track the successes and failures of past initiatives so that future programs can be refined and made more effective. In addition, a carefully crafted marketing program requires up to date knowledge of the competition.

• Philadelphia Has a Negative Image As A Vacation Destination -During the interview process, numerous leaders in the community expressed the feeling that Philadelphia had a neutral or perhaps very slightly negative image in the minds of potential vacationers.

It appears as though a significant number of individuals (potential vacationers as well as travel influencers) perceive the City to have a decidedly negative image. As a result Philadelphia fails even to be in the consideration set of many

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83 MARKETING

individuals when they are making vacation decisions. (This subject is reported on in greater detail in the section entitled "Philadelphia's Image. ")

• Negative Local Attitude - Early on, one individual interviewed mentioned that Philadelphians find it very difficult to say anything nice about the City - even those that love the City and would never think of living anyplace else. This was cited as being different from other cities, particularly Boston, where residents

think and openly promote the City as a great place to live and work.

When asked about this phenomenon, others interviewed agreed that it was true. Even a very positive article on Philadelphia found in a recent issue of the Amtrak magazine began by going into great detail about the negative attitudes of the City's residents. The Peirce Report also found this phenomenon to be true and referred to it directly after mentioning many of the regions recent successes. "Of course ask many local folks about the region where they live, as we did, and you'll get a different picture. They'll likely bombard you with the 'downers'""" In short, they'll portray a region convinced that at best. its second-rate!"

Without having a positive promotional campaign for the City for over a decade, the attitudes of Philadelphians have been shaped primarily by local media coverage which many of those interviewed openly felt dwelt much too extensively on negative issues, especially crime and violence.

One of the objectives of any tourism promotion effort must be promoting the City and its events and attractions to the local residents. A good tourism campaign should also serve in some part as a general feel-good, image campaign for the locals. With a more positive attitude about the City, word-of-mouth promotion by Philadelphians (the most effective form of tourism advertising) will increase.

• No Consumer Demand - Wholesalers and tour operators have told City tourism officials that the reason they do not feature more Philadelphia product for their customers is that there is no demand for it. According to tour operators, people are just not asking to go to Philadelphia and therefore there is no reason for them to develop packages - they would only lose money and they cannot afford to do that. (The recent Barnes Exhibit package promotion which has proven so successful should prove helpful in developing future packages.)

In order to build demand, the City must market itself - consistently and effectively over a long period of time. Through this effort it will build demand and help create a "Philadelphia Product" on the shelves of tour operators.

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• Tourism Has Not Been A Priority - In order for tourism to thrive, it needs to be designated as one of the City's strategic industries and resources must be devoted to developing it. This was not the case for Philadelphia in the past, however, in the last year or so, under the Mayor's leadership, awareness of the positive economic impact tourism can have on Philadelphia has grown SUbstantially.

Tourism promotion must be understood by City leaders as the economic development tool that it is and be funded with economic development dollars. For Philadelphia to improve as a vacation destination, additional resources will need to be allocated over an extended period of time.

• Lack Of Strong Marketing Partner - Tourism will not thrive if marketing is left to only one or two entities. To be successful strong marketing partnerships are required. Historically, the City has not had many strong marketing partners. There was no major hotel chain or strong airline to help focus and fund tourism promotion.

With the new Marriott Hotel the City now possesses a major hotel chain and it is anticipated that another will build a hotel in the City in the near future.

It appears as though not having a strong marketing partner has been used in the past to justify the fact that the City has been unable to effectively promote tourism. The recent successful American Express/Barnes Exhibit promotional program shows that there are ways to effectively partner and promote the City -even without "a strong local marketing partner", if energies are placed in this direction. It is important for Philadelphia to conduct a professional assessment of the American Express/Barnes program in order that the lessons learned be used to create bigger and more successful programs in the future.

• Limited Packaging - Historically there has been very limited packaging or promotion of the City's hotels. This has made it more difficult for individuals to actually "buy" the product Philadelphia has to offer.

The New York Times covers an extensive area of what can be considered prime marketing territory for Philadelphia tourism. A review over several months of the Sunday Travel Section of the New York Times shows that there is very limited promotion of Philadelphia and its hotels. There are regularly whole sections covering advertising for Washington properties and those in Massachusetts.

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85 MARKliTING

• City/National Park Service Relationship· Throughout the interviewing, there were regular references to the less than strong working relationship between the City and the National Park Service. This is in part a result of the City's desire to institute events and facilities to make the Park and history "come alive" on one hand and the Park's desire to maintain the authenticity of the property on tile other. It is important to the success of a tourism program that a good working relationship be establislled between the NPS and the City and its attractions.

• Attraction Competition - It became evident to us that attractions in the City have not undertaken many marketing initiatives. Instead of working together in an attempt to increase the size of the visitor base through marketing, each attraction seems content on trying to capture a greater share of the existing pie for itself. This in turn results in considerable internal competition which is not a healthy or productive situation.

Attractions will need to work together more closely in an effort to increase total tourism and thus the size of the pie. An example of such coordination could be found in the New York Attractions Committee (NYAC) which works at promoting numerous attractions through advertiSing and the development of discount booklets to promote multiple visits to different attractions.

• Decentralized Tourism Marketing - In addition to being neglected in the past, tourism marketing in the City of Philadelphia has lacked centralized coordination needed to harness the energies of the many different entities that stand to benefit from increased tourism. Even though there is a growing awareness of the benefits of tourism, there is still no entity that has the resources to direct an effective tourism marketing program representing all the interests of the City.

• Emerging from Financial Crisis - Since Philadelphia is just now emerging from a decade long financial crisis, it has not had the resources needed for marketing tourism. Even now, resources continue to be scarce.

MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

Philadelphia does have the opportunity to redefine and establish itself as a major urban tourism destination. While it currently has sufficient product to offer a quality vacation experience, efforts still must be made to improve and expand the "product", increase customer satisfaction, begin to develop positive word-of-moutl1- encourage repeat visits and increase overall visits.

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86 Mtl/lli.El1NG

Philadelphia has not made a significant effort to define itself in the past for purposes of tourism and as a result of the vacuum left by its lack of marketing activity, it has been positioned in the minds of potential vacationers by outside sources, the news media, word-of-mo(Jth and other destinations.

Any significant marketing effort on the part of the City at this point will provide "new news" about the destination and by its very nature increase awareness of the City as a potential destination.

Through proper positioning and a sustained marketing effort the City should be able to develop and communicate a sustainable competitive advantage to its target audiences which will dramatically increase tourism's economic contribution to the City.

MARKETING THREATS

• Reduced State Advertising - As mentioned elsewhere in this report tourism is becoming an increasingly competitive industry both domestically and internationally. The State of Pennsylvania has traditionally been aggressively promoted as evidenced by its ranking near the top in terms of total state travel office budgets.

.. __ .. PENNSYLVANIA STATE TRAVEL OFFICE BUDGET ·1989/1994

Fiscal Year Budget Rank

FY 1989-90 $15.9M 5

FY 1990·91 $14.8M 4

FY 1991-92 $12.4M 6

FY 1992-93 $12.1M 7

FY 1993-94 $13.3M 6

Source: U.S. Travel Data Center M = $ Million

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87 MAlIKETING

However, funding for the state's tourism marketing efforts has decreased recently in comparison to other states and conceivably, the state could drop out of the ranks of the top 10 in the next USTDC report. In the past fiscal year the budget has been cut to the point where television no longer represents the state's primary media vehicle.

As with other state tourism programs and budgets Pennsylvania's marketing activities are directed toward promoting the entire state. Philadelphia does, however, receive prominent support primarily because of its historic attractions. Cutbacks in the state tourism and travel budget would certainly have an adverse impact on the City's ability to expand its tourism efforts.

• "Philadelphia Phenomenon" - A number of Philadelphians, including tourism stakeholders, seem to have an ingrained propensity to "put down" Philadelphia, its people and its attractions. A new, positive image of Philadelphia and its citizens needs to be created. In part, the solution lies in creating a great visitor image for the city -. an image that local residents buy into first and visitors second,

PROMOTING PHILADELPHIA

Efforts to promote the City of Philadelphia over the past decade as an attractive overnight vacation destination have been sporadic, limited in focus, consistently under-funded and generally ineffective.

Several organizations have been marketing Philadelphia - most notably Greater Philadelphia First, geared toward attracting business and industry, the Convention Center and the Convention and Visitors Bureau, which focuses primarily on attracting meetings and conventions to the City.

Historically, very little effort has been placed behind efforts to attract vacationers to Philadelphia by the CVB. This is not unlike many CVBs across the country as they focus primarily on addressing the needs of the meeting and convention market -oftentimes a result of two factors:

. direction provided by the majority of CVB members

measuring results in terms of used convention center floor space and associated "heads on beds" or hotel nights is easy. (For the Philadelphia,

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88 MARKE'J'lNG

CVB marketing expenditures are tied directly to anticipated room nights and a "cost per room night" for the activity is calculated.)

Advertising that has been used to promote the City are included in Appendix G.

In addition to the CVB, there are numerous organizations that could benefit from increases in the number of extended stay vacationers, but for the most part only limited efforts to attract them are made,

Other organizations within the City and vacationer oriented promotional activity include:

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce - promotes the Chamber's Business Fair in markets within a two hour drive

Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance - no advertising

Restaurant Association - no advertising outside of the City

Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association - some co-op advertising and individual hotels advertise.

Independence National Historical Park - no advertising

Major attractions - few advertising efforts outside of the Philadelphia market. The Philadelphia Museum of Art occasionally takes ads in nearby markets for special exhibits. The Zoo also does a limited amount of advertising.

Sesame Place - advertises heavily in the New York market. The CVB has run limited cooperative advertising with Sesame Place

Lancaster & Bucks County - limited cooperative advertising has run in the past (1990) with the Pennsylvania Dutch counties .

. US Air - no consumer advertising specifically related to Philadelphia. The air line did have an article about the first "Welcome America!" program, but did not follow that up in year two.

American Airlines - did advertise Philadelphia in London to start the service, but has since withdrawn from the route.

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89 MARKETING

Several of the individuals interviewed felt as though Philadelphia has suffered in the past in part from not having a significant travel partner. The City is however currently conducting a 50/50 cooperative program with the State of Pennsylvania and a cooperative program between several hotels, the CVB and American Express. In combination, the two programs represent over $350,000 worth of tourism marketing spending in just the first half of 1995 • significantly more than has been spent in the past several years.

TOURISM PROMOTIONS

Philadelphia's last and only marketing program over the past ten years centered around the "Philadelphia - Get To Know Us" theme. This program ran for a short time in the mid 1980s. Following that, promotional programs became primarily "event driven" with a different tagline or theme every year and a very narrow (local) geographic target.

Overall, there has been very little direct or indirect advertising supporting the City. The hotels and attractions have done a minimal amount over the years to promote their own products or the city as a whole. Cooperative advertising programs have been very limited, appearing mostly in local media.

Among all the individuals interviewed in the course of this assignment, the only real advertising campaign for the City that could be recalled was "Philadelphia - Get To Know Us." This program appeared in the mid-1980's.

According to some familiar with the program, it was not really designed as a tourism campaign, but rather to make Philadelphia feel good about itself - a self image campaign. The c:ampaign did have a significant amount of recall among those interviewed and the overall feeling about the program was positive. No one, however, could describe any specific messages the campaign conveyed about the City. There is no way of determining whether the campaign is recalled because it was particularly good or because it represented the only Significant advertising in recent memory.

A surprisingly large number of people we interviewed claimed to recall one other advertisement that said, "Philadelphia» It's Not As Bad As You Think." No one interviewed could remember anything specific about the program, and for some time it was felt that it was perhaps an old joke that, somehow through reputation had taken on a life of its own. Upon further research it was discovered that it was never an advertising campaign, but one billboard placed along a major Philadelphia artery. Rather than saying, "Philadelphia» It's Not As Bad As You Think" it read slightly differently, "Philadelphia Isn't As Bad As Philadelphians Say It Is."

90 l'IIIfADEl.P111A TOURISM "EI'OR1,

MARKBm.;o

The billboard appeared approximately twenty years ago. The staying power of a single billboard is quite remarkable - perhaps it hit a nerve or perhaps the longevity of its recall results from the vacuum created through the lack of other Philadelphia marketing efforts.

There has also been sporadic, limited advertising related to event promotion, regional promotion, intemational promotion, meeting and convention promotion and package promotions.

As a result of the limited cooperative advertising and promotional efforts seen on behalf of the City and its travel businesses, there has been very little "product on the shelf' for tour operators and vacationers to buy. A notable exception was the recent cooperative program run in conjunction with the Barnes Exhibit. The success of this program has created considerable excitement within the Philadelphia travel industry and reports are that more efforts along these lines are planned in the coming year.

The CVB has recently devoted additional funds to tourism promotion. This is evident in the Co-op programs with the State and for the Barnes exhibit and resources devoted to the upcoming ASTA conference.

Attached as appendix G is a description of tourism promotion activities for Philadelphia together with examples of actual creative which was employed.

A discussion of Philadelphia's collateral material is also included in Appendix G. Overall, there is an abundance of maps, brochures and other collateral pieces to help a visitor get around in the City and in many cases within specific areas, i.e., Independence Park, Center City, the waterfront, etc. There is however a lack of uniformity to the collateral materials.

Philadelphia's tourism promotion efforts in terms of dollars and continuity have been far less than its competitor's cities. See Volume II of this report on "Comparables". It

has been noted that there has been an increased awareness of tourism and the benefits it can offer the City in recent months. Perhaps because of this heightened awareness, several new tourism initiatives have begun.

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TARGET MARKETS

As stated earlier, little research exists about Philadelphia's target markets or how vacationers spend their time in Philadelphia. Since there was nothing of value specific to Philadelphia, we reviewed research relating to why tourists go to cities. Attached in Appendix H is a detailed discussion about one of the most comprehensive tourism research studies ever conducted on U.S, vacationers, commissioned by Tourism Canada. The study discusses two large tourist segments which have specific applications to marketing Philadelphia. In essence the research shows that Philadelphia does have a strong product which can appeal to large segments of the U,S. population.

plllIADELPHlA TOURISM RIil'ORl':

92 MARKETINO

IMAGE OF PHILADELPHIA

In discussions with industry and government leaders in the City, there was general agreement that the City lacks an image. While there has proven to be only limited research available on Philadelphia as a vacation destination, the belief among most leaders was that the City had for the most part a neutral image in the minds of the traveling public - neither positive nor negative. Some felt that if the image was negative, it was only slightly negative.

BUSINESS IMAGE

These perceptions are perhaps in part the result of several studies conducted for The Greater Philadelphia Economic Development Coalition (GPEDC) nearly a decade ago. Although these studies were targeted towards business image, there is a close relationship to tourism image.

James P. Murphy & Co. (1986) conducted in-depth focus group interviews with corporate executives who recently opened facilities in Philadelphia and concluded: "Greater Philadelphia does not seem to have any sharply defined image."

Spiro & Associates (1986) surveyed 1 ,330 subscribers of INC, Magazine who were active in industries of interest to GPEDC and reported: "Perhaps as a consequence of a lack of familiarity, many executives have a 'neutral' attitude toward this region, rather than an opinion that is either strongly positive or negative."

The Gallup Organization, Inc. (1986) conducted a survey of 407 CEOs and top executives in Fortune 1000 companies in the United States and Canada. While the report pointed to a variety of strengths, they were balanced by a variety of weaknesses,

TOURISM IMAGE

A review of analyses made of Metropolll and II research studies (1983 & 1986) concludes that, "It can be noted that Philadelphia [as a vacation destination] has many strengths and weaknesses,"

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93 MARKETING

A closer look at the Metropoll figures show that Philadelphia performed well on several attributes considered "secondary" in the vacation decision making process such as good local transportation, reasonable food and lodging costs, good restaurants and a worthwhile place to go.

The City did, Ilowever, perform very poorly on attributes generally considered vitally important for a vacatic..n destination such as having friendly residents, being clean and attractive and being safe or having a low crime rate. The following chart, although reflecting the opinions of meeting planners is believed to fairly accurately reflect the perceptions of a wide range of Americans. Additional insights will be revealed, as a result of the quantitative research project being conducted by the Marketing sub­committee of the Mayor's Hospitality Cabinet.

Clearly the City's major problems as a potential tourist destination, as surveyed by Metropoll had not been highlighted. This, coupled with many business oriented studies pOinting to the fact that the City had a neutral image could have lead City leaders to feel Philadelphia's image was indeed neutral.

A review of newer Metropoll Studies, research available through various organizations within the City and qualitative research studies conducted among travel agents and past visitors conducted as part of this assignment indicate that -

Philadelphia, as a desirable place to visit, has a significantly more negative image than many City leaders believe,

A lack of marketing has lead to a lack of awareness among the travel agent community and a lack of awareness and demand on the part of consumers. The image of Philadelphia has been left for each individual to define. Unfortunately, much of this perception is therefore being shaped by the news media which, more often than not focuses on negative elements such as MOVE, the fiscal crisis and the recent problems experienced with 911.

In addition, the one thing that Philadelphians are most proud of and believe differentiates the city from all others - its association with early American history • appears to be at parity with other destinations in the minds of travel agents.

A more detailed discussion of Philadelphia's image as a vacation destination is included in Appendix I. The discussion is based on various studies conducted by City organizations in the past.

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94 MARKETINO

Highlights from that information include:

• Residents of the suburbs appear in fact to have a less favorable image of the City than residents do.

• Events can be a draw for the City, however individuals that have been coming to the City were more likely to hear about an event through word-of-mouth than some media source.

• Visitors who stay overnight have a decidedly more positive image of the City than event visitors who come only for the day.

• Visitors experiences with the City generally exceed their eXpectations.

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95 MARKBTlNG

Philadelphia Vacation Image

INEXPENSIVE TO GET TO

MODEST FOOD & LODGING $ EASY TO GET TO

GOOD SIGHTSEEING

CONVENIENT AIRLINE SERViCE

GOOD LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

GOOD FAMILY PLACE

TOUR OPPORTUNITIES

GOOD RESTAURANTS

OUTLYING AREAS

HIGH FOOD & LODGING COST

LOW FOOD & LODGING COSTS

POPULAR PLACE

DIFFERENT/UNIQUE

GOOD ADVERTISING

FRIENDLY RESIDENTS

GOOD VALUE FOR THE MONEY

GOOD SHOPPING

CLEAN/ATTRACTIVE CllY

GOOD NIGHT LIFE

ROMANTIC PLACE

LOW CRIME RATE/SAFE

WONDERFUL CLIMATE V, -~u

-100 -80

Versus 40 City Norm among total Metropoli sample

-60 -40 -20 o 20 NORM

40 60 80

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH - TRAVEL AGENTS AND VISITORS

Over:vi~VJ: The lack of quality research on vacationers to the City of Philadelphia has been discussed elsewhere in this report in great detail. Therefore, in order to obtain an independent perspective of the City and help in the formulation of the Hospitality Cabinet's upcoming quantitative study a small qualitative study was undertaken.

To learn more about awareness, image and perceptions of the City as an overnight vacation destination and about attitudes regarding its perceived strengths and limitations as a vacation destination, two separate studies were commissioned specifically for this report.

The first surveyed travel agents within a 250 mile radius of Philadelphia and the second was conducted among vacationers that had stayed in a City hotel within the past year.

The research was qualitative and involved conducting one-on-one indepth telephone interviews. This technique is particularly useful when attempting to delve into underlying issues and understand "why" individuals feel as they do instead of trying to elicit a simple attitudinal response. Although the sample sizes are small and therefore not projectable, a wealth of information applicable to marketing Philadelphia was obtained.

Telephone surveys were conducted among travel agents and past vacationers. The consistency of responses received leads us to believe perceptions obtained are fairly indicative of those held by a large majority of individuals.

It should be noted that the Hospitality Cabinet is in the process of fielding an extensive quantitative study which should provide additional insights into perceptions of the City.

In addition to surveying travel professionals (agents, wholesalers, etc.) and past vacationers, the Hospitality Cabinet's research study will obtain attitudes from individuals that have never vacationed in Philadelphia before. This is important because there is no research available at this time on the attitudes of individuals that have never been to the City before, describing why they have stayed away. For Philadelphia to succeed in becoming a destination city, it must attract "new" vacationers.

The following will serve to highlight the findings from the two qualitative studies. The complete text from the studies conducted by Trinity Communications, Inc. are contained in Appendix C and Appendix D.

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TRAVEL AGENT INTERVIEWS

Although travel agents interviewed stated that U.S. cities represents a moderate or large portion of their vacation bookings very few even considered Philadelphia as a vacation destination. None of the agents received frequent inquiries for the City from their clients (potential vacationers) and only a few said they would be likely to recommend Philadelphia as a vacation destination.

A few travel agents felt Philadelphia was a city they'd recommend to people en route to another destination, or as a place to visit on a day trip. One agent commented, "People would look at me funny if I were to suggest Philadelphia," while another said, "Why send them to Philadelphia when I could send them to DC or Baltimore?"

Aside from history, few of the agents had any knowledge of what Philadelphia had to offer. While agents knew Philadelphia was a very historical city, only a few could name more than one of its numerous tourist attractions - historic or otherwise. Few could recall anything other than the Liberty Bell.

This virtual lack of awareness among travel agents - individuals who are professionals in the world of travel is astounding and points to the limited tourism marketing of the City in the past.

When asked to describe Philadelphia agent's responses were generally brief, impartial, or somewhat negative - even among those that have traveled there. Numerous respondents described a city which, although historical, was somewhat dull or lacking in many of the types of attractions they considered important to tourists, such as cultural activities, good weather, interesting night life, entertainment, safety, cleanliness and a lively and friendly atmosphere. Being unable to provide any in-depth descriptions points to an overall lack of knowledge of the subject.

Some agents felt that other cities with more appealing climates or personalities had the same or better historical or cultural attractions as Philadelphia, and they were more likely to recommend these other cities to their clients (e.g., Washington, Boston).

PAST VACATIONER INTERVIEWS

Most of the travelers interviewed claimed to have enjoyed their vacations to Philadelphia thoroughly. When asked to describe the City, respondents were generally positive: most commended the City for its historical significance; some noted its friendliness, quaintness and reasonable cost, and a few noted that it was not fully appreciated for its offerings.

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Many respondents said they were likely or somewhat likely to vacation in Philadelphia again, primarily because they felt there were many other things there to see and do.

Many of the vacationers came to Philadelphia for reasons other than for a vacation (e.g., business or wedding) and indicated they probably wouldn't have come if it wasn't for tllat other purpose.

Importantly, many visitors - even the most enthusiastic - perceived Philadelphia as a city which was generally dilapidated, and suffered from a high crime rate, heavy traffic and congestion. In conjunction with their concern about crime, a few respondents also expressed anxiety that, unlike Boston and New York, Philadelphia's streets appear relatively abandoned in the evening. Numerous visitors also felt that the City should provide better directions both for drivers and pedestrians, again due to their overall anxiety regarding getting around safely.

[Cleanliness, safety and directional sign age were the three biggest complaints from hotel guests in the Planning Commission's 1991 survey of hotel guests. They appear to still be visitor's major concerns.]

While Philadelphia has many attractions and people can enjoy themselves "thoroughly" in the City, few are aware of the array of attractions before they arrive, and many would not have vacationed there if they didn't have to come to the city for another purpose. The City has failed to promote itself in the past and the effects show up in the lack of awareness of reasons to travel there.

SUMMARY

It should be pointed out that few of the City's studies relate directly to overnight hotel stay visitors - those identified in this report as representing the target market with highest economic potential for Philadelphia. Even so, past studies do provide an indication of the City's image and degree of the challenge Philadelphia faces in becoming a destination city. Although there are many challenges it is our belief that they are not insurmountable and that the rewards for the residents of the City in terms of increased civic pride and economic benefit are definitely attainable.

In marketing it is often said that "perception is reality." The fact that Philadelphia has one of the lowest crime rates of any major metropolitan area, or Conde Nast Traveler magazine has rated the City as one of the nations friendliest or its citizens the most honest means nothing if the perceptions of others is just the opposite.

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It is also said that "perception trails reality," Philadelphia has made significant strides in the past few years and that reality has not as yet been conveyed into the consciousness of potential travelers,

The most effective way to change old images of Philadelphia and align them more accurately with the existing reality is through strong and effective marketing communications programs, This is something the City has failed to do in the past, but must do now in order to reap a greater economic benefit in an increasingly competitive industry,

As a side note, simply doing a more effective job of communications is not the only answer, The City and its leaders must continue and even redouble their efforts to improve the actual product - make and keep it cleaner, improve lighting and reduce crime,

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PHILADELPHIA MARKETING RECOMMENDATIONS

Over the course of the past decade, the City of Philadelphia has not mounted a sustained and serious marketing effort to attract overnight hotel stay vacationers. As a consequence, it has failed to achieve the status of being a destination city in the minds of travelers or the travel trade, and has suffered significant lost tax revenue and employment opportunity.

Philadelphia does have a good product now, but will need to continue its efforts to upgrade it and make the City more "visitor friendly." Tile fact that there remains room for product improvement can not be used as an excuse to refrain from promoting Philadelphia aggressively as soon as possible.

Based upon an extensive review of Philadelphia's tourism product, past marketing efforts and trends in competitive promotion, the following marketing actions for the City are being recommended:

1. Advertisi.o.g -- Immediately begin to promote Philadelphia tourism through an aggressive marketing communications campaign. Allocate $3,000,000 annually toward this effort; $2,000,000 for image advertising and an additional $1,000,000 for cooperative marketing/ promotional efforts.

2. PQ.§itioning •• Promote the City as the overnight vacation destination representing the quintessential All-American City experience - past and present.

3. Research -- Develop an extensive marketing research program to monitor the success of the communications effort and to aid in fine-tuning future efforts. Allocate $175,000 annually for research.

Marketing Philadelphia is like marketing any product or service. In order for it to be successful it must be viewed and planned for over the long term. Therefore, in order for Philadelphia to succeed in the tourism arena -- a position that it deserves to have -­marketing efforts at the recommended spending levels need to implemented for a minimum of three consecutive years.

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ADVERTISING

Immediately begin to promote Philadelphia tourism through an aggressive marketing communications campaign. Allocate $3, 000, 000 annually toward tllis effort; $2, 000, 000 for image advertising and an additional $1, 000, 000 for cooperative marketingl promotional efforts.

In the selection of a destination, visitors will most often consider and choose among those locales which are top of mind -- that is, those destinations of which they are most aware. Thus, before a tourist even considers going to a particular city, he/she must at least be aware of its potential as a vacation destination.

Research has shown consumer responses to unaided awareness questions are strongly associated with positive attitudes, intentions to buy and actual purchase. With regard to travel destinations, empirical research has demonstrated a strong link between destinations most memorable in consumers' minds (measured by unaided awareness questioning) as places to visit and attitudes and intentions toward actually visiting these destinations.

The destination selection process is graphically portrayed below:

Industry Population --------:7"'-_. Awareness Set

Consideration Set

Choice Set

Chosen Destination ---_1--1----1---1---1-....

l'IIfIJWH<i'1lIA TOUlIISM IIH'01I1:

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The fact that there is little awareness among consumers and travel agents of Philadelphia as a vacation destination is highlighted in several places within the Marketing Assessment. The awareness that does exist is generally associated with negative images -- particularly on the more important decision making attributes such as safety, cleanliness and friendliness. Tour operators do not develop packages to the City due to a lack of consumer demand.

In order for Philadelphia to create awareness and thus a positive image for itself as a desirable vacation destination, it must:

EffectLvej:!'.Q[QIDpte ,itself witl).3!.9.~9iC;~1~d and substantial budget for promotion/advertising for a sustained period of time -- a minimum QfJbree years. In addition, Philadelphia must partner with other entities to maximize budgets and communications messages.

It is recommended that Philadelphia allocate $2,000,000 per year specifically for the purpose of promoting the City through image advertising. An additional $1,000,000 per year would be needed to foster cooperative promotional programs with other organizations within the City.

Image Advertising

With $2,000,000 specifically devoted to image advertising, Philadelphia would rank among the leaders in advertising spending for U.S. cities -- a position that it has failed at achieve over the past decade. It would also provide sufficient funds to run fairly heavy advertising support in important source markets located within 200 miles of the City. (Target markets are discussed in the section on positioning.)

The recommended budget level is considerably higher than anything the City has had for the past decade. It is a level of funding which, if the money is used to develop an effective and consistent advertising campaign and media program should begin to establish Philadelphia as a major tourism destination.

Specific media and the allocation of funds by media should be the responsibility of a professional advertising agency. It is however recommended that a significant portion of the budget be allocated to broadcast advertising -- television and/or radio.

Broadcast media is more effective than other media for generating immediate broad scale awareness, and is noted for its ability to create an immediate image. Based on the Marketing Assessment, both awareness and image are two urgent requirements if the City is seriously interested in becoming a destination city.

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Competition for visitors by city destinations is becoming increasingly competitive, As noted in the competitive spending section of the Comparables Report, overall advertising spending by cities increased by 16% between 1993 and 1994, The greatest increases in total advertising spending occurred in the area of local television, Total television spending now almost equals that of magazines, the once dominant advertising vehicle,

Cooperative Advertising

The Marketing Assessment highlights the urgent need for more cooperative marketing and communications efforts between the various enterprises engaged in tourism related activities in Philadelphia, In summary, the assessment found that:

• There was very little cooperative marketing or communications efforts taking place and very limited packages available to sell to potential visitors,

• There was a very limited amount of money available for promotion -- particularly for events, once the costs associated with organizing the event was included,

• Existing collateral material showed that a wide range of styles and variations exist which can, collectively produce a diSjointed image,

To expand the cooperative efforts between tourism stakeholders a separate $1,000,000 is being recommended, Consideration on the allocation of these funds include:

• The budget would be controlled by the new Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, discussed in the next section of this report.

• The communications message delivered through any cooperative effort must be consistent with the overall pOSitioning/image of the City delivered through the general advertising campaign.

• Allocations would be given to multiple cooperative partners -- that is to say funds will be restricted to joint marketing efforts. Funds could not be given to an event like Welcome America for advertising, They could however be given to a cooperative effort between Welcome America and several hotels to promote special event packages to the City.

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Ideally, partnerships would include hotels in order to make it easier for travelers to "buy" an overnight stay in Philadelphia. This however is not essential. Examples of potential partnerships include:

The Zoo and the Aquarium

Historic Philadelphia & South Street

Penn's Landing & Restaurants or the National Park Service

The Flower Show & Hotels

Museums & The Ph illy Ph I ash

The State of Pennsylvania & Outside Partners such as American Express or Regional Tourism Authorities

Ultimately, however, the goal for the cooperative fund is to encourage organizations that have historically spent very little money promoting the City to devise ways to do so in the future. It will also encourage entities that may have not thought about cooperative ventures to rethink their overall marketing strategies and seek future opportunities and to do so in a way that helps promote Philadelphia with a consistent Image.

It should be the job of the new organization discussed in the next section to establish a clear set of cooperative advertising guidelines for the consistent distribution of funds and the monitoring of activities designed to achieve the ultimate goal of making Philadelphia an overnight destination city.

Examples of criteria to be used in the cooperative guidelines include:

• The cooperative funds are to be used for marketing communications materials •• those designed to educate and inform visitors and residents about the attractions and events available in the City. Preferences will be given to co-op advertising ventures but alternate forms of communication i.e. brochures, maps, etc will also be eligible.

• Cooperative funds should not exceed 50% of the total communications budget of the joint marketing partners (in the beginning). The funds are intended help partners increase their advertising and promotion efforts, not replace them.

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• Cooperative funds should only be provided to those entities that will be promoting Philadelphia in a manner that is consistent with agreed upon market pOSitioning for the City.

• Fund managers should strive to spend all the cooperative monies in accordance with the above guidelines. Funds not spent on cooperative programs in any given year should be transferred to the general advertising campaign. However, it is important to develop a mechanism that maximizes cooperative efforts.

The above allocation criteria are only examples of the types of guidelines that need to be developed. It is realized that new/additional guidelines will be developed over time as different situations arise.

It is believed that an important side benefit of the cooperative program as detailed above is that it will make the new Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. a power in the City because of its ability to leverage funds and get new marketing and advertising programs off the ground.

POSITIONING PHILADELPHIA

Promote the City as an overnight vacation destination representing the quintessential AI/-American City experience - past and present.

In addition to a high level of awareness among the traveling public and trade, a city destination also needs a unified and unique marketing image. A strong market positioning will easily convey to the visitor what benefits he/she will enjoy by visiting the city and what makes the destination different from all others. This helps the destination move from all the places considered to the select few seriously considered.

Fragmented messages work against a destination -- usually resulting in lower awareness and a confused perception about what makes the destination special or unique. Recently, several travel industry players in Canada pointed to the lack of a central tourism body as the cause of Canada's inability to capitalize on the growing tourism market. These people rightly believed that too many players, both private and public, sending different messages to the US tourist market has resulted in a fragmented and confused image of Canada as a tourist destination.

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The situation in Philadelphia has been slightly different than that encountered by Canada. Instead of having too many different messages in the marketplace, the City has had too few messages of any kind reaching consumers. Based on the recommendations made in this report, that situation should change dramatically in the near future as both public and private sector enterprises begin to promote the City more heavily.

Positioning Defined

As noted in the Marketing Assessment, there is a great deal of confusion over the precise definition of what constitutes a "tourist." So too, there is a tremendous amount of confusion regarding specifically what comprises a market positioning. Therefore, it is important to first define what positioning is prior to providing the recommended one for Philadelphia.

Positioning is the way in which we want the consumer to think about a Qroduct or service. It is the most basic of all strategic elements and provides the blueprint for the marketing and development of a brand. Its 2.l!.rPose i§ to focus the efforts of all those involved in marketing and development activities and once successfully established. it should rarely be changed.

A good market positioning for Philadelphia can be captured in the following statement:

To _________ , Philadelphia is the ________ _

TARGET MARKET FRAME OF REFERENCE

that _________________ __

POINT OF DIFFERENCE/BENEFIT

There are therefore three separate elements required in developing a market positioning statement. In addition, there is one other item needed, and that is the supporting rationale which provides reasons for consumers to believe that the benefit promised will actually be delivered.

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Recommendations for the three elements of the positioning statement and supporting rationale include:

Frame of Reference

The Frame of Reference describes the consumer grouping of like products with which Philadelphia competes,

Since Philadelphia will not likely compete directly with shore or mountain resort vacations, the Frame of Reference must be "city vacation destinations," This report has been prepared to address the issue of "overnight" vacationers, and as such, these individuals need to be included in the positioning statement. This is particularly important given the fact that the City is well known for the short length of stay of the majority of its visitors.

The recommended Frame of Reference or competitive grouping should be therefore be "2yernight city vacation destinations."

Target Market

Unlike a single product or service, a city offers potential vacationers a plethora of different experiences and therefore can appeal to a wide range of different target markets. By its very nature, a city must appeal to a fairly broad target market in order to support the broad spectrum of city constituents,

For Philadelphia, at least in the initial phase of the marketing program, a broader target market definition, with a few logical niche segments is being recommended. As more research becomes available, adjustments to the target market will be necessary.

(As noted in the Marketing Assessment, there is very little research available on who is coming, or who is likely to be inclined to come to Philadelphia for an overnight hotel stay vacation. Even the State does not have an accurate reading of who comes to Pennsylvania for a vacation, although they do know the geographiC area of persons requesting literature on Pennsylvania vacations.)

There is ample research on other city destinations indicating that the majority of vacationers come from within a distance of 200 miles, Lacking any research information specific to Philadelphia on source markets, it is recommended that future marketing efforts be concentrated within a radius of 200 miles of the City,

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Within that 200 mile marketing area, Philadelphia should concentrate its marketing efforts primarily on attracting families, The product, particularly its historical elements and museums, aquarium and zoo, is well suited for the family market

According to a recently released study by the U,S, Travel Data Center, some 92 million adults, representing 48% of the U,S, popUlation are expected to take a family vacation trip this year -- a 4% increase over 1994. Although ocean and beach vacations are the most popular (50 percent), this is followed closely by visits to historical sites (42%).

Families represent a very interesting and highly desirable market for Philadelphia. Positioning Philadelphia as a great overnight family vacation destination, will provide a springboard for correcting the erroneous perception that the City is unsafe, If successfully repositioned in such a manner, perceptions of safety should increase dramatically over time,

Positioning Philadelphia as a family destination is by no means an impossible mission. Las Vegas, a destination once synonymous with gambling, prostitution and sin, has recently become better known as a "family destination.

Within the family market, two very important niche markets need to be addressed in any marketing program. These include wealthy senior pleasure travelers and African Americans -- segments for which Philadelphia has a particularly strong product.

Specific ways to address these audiences, whether through executional variations of the core creatiVe, or through specialized creative in different media should be made by the communications firm retained to develop and execute the program in conjunction with the new tourism organization.

The Target Market for Philadelphia should therefore be defined as "families living within a 200 mile radius of the City."

There are two additional niche markets which need to be addressed in any future Philadelphia communications programs. These include:

• Cultural/Historical Enthusiasts • International Visitors

These markets should receive some special adVertising consideration in the image campaign for Philadelphia, but the majority of emphasis against these markets should come within the cooperative advertising program.

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Point of Difference/Benefit

The point of difference is the specific benefit we want consumers to associate most readily with Philadelphia. In the Marketing Assessment two overwhelming image problems were identified.

First of all, the City, one of the most important from an American Heritage perspective had lost that dominant position within the minds of the traveling public. Philadelphia needs to re"establish itself as the premiere destination for authentic American Heritage. It must not ignore its own heritage and place in American History, as this is the one thing that makes Philadelphia Ullique from any other city in the world.

Philadelphia, more than any other city in America, can and should lay claim to early American History.

Secondly, what limited research there is points to the fact that Philadelphia suffers from a lack of personality. Many potential travelers perceive it as being dull, unexciting, old fashioned and lacking in anything more than history. In addition claiming early American history, Philadelphia must, at the same time, clearly position itself as a modern and cosmopolitan destination containing an abundance of high quality cultural activity, dining and events -- a city that would be fun/entertaining to visit.

Playinq off American History, it is recommen~eg that Philadelphia's point of difference be that it is the quintessential "All-American City experience - Pa.§! and Present.

Philadelphia should "own" American Heritage -- its past As it stands today it does not. In addition the City should recognize that it has gone through an exceptionally difficult period - just as the vast majority of other cities have. And like many other cities, Philadelphia has managed to emerge from financial crisis to be one of the most vibrant and exciting cities on the East Coast or anywhere in the United States.

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Positioning Summary

The three elements of a market positioning statement and the recommendations for Philadelphia are:

• Target Market

• Frame of Reference

• Point of Difference/Benefit

- families living within a 200 mile radius

- overnight city vacation destinations

- the quintessential All American City experience - Past and Present

Following the market positioning statement guidelines, the recommended positioning statement can be expressed as follows:

To families living within a 200 mile radius, Philadelphia is the overnight vacation destination that represents the quintessential All-American City experience - past and present.

The positioning statement provides the framework for which a focused and impactful marketing and communications program can be developed, The statement does not represent the advertising or tag line for Philadelphia. but rather what a viewer or reader should take away after seeing or hearing a commercial for the City.

If the recommended marketing positioning is approved, it must be translated into an exciting and compelling advertising campaign by an advertising/communications firm.

Several very important points need to be expressed regarding the recommended positioning for Philadelphia.

• By its very nature, it focuses very tightly on the City itself. It is recommended that in the beginning, the City concentrate its marketing funds on promoting Philadelphia.

Considerable discussion took place regarding the benefits and tradeoffs associated with expanding the program to include the greater Philadelphia area as there are many attractions within a short drive and tourism is basically regional. Due to the limited tourism marketing in the past, initial efforts should be primarily focussed on clarifying and establishing the pOSitioning for Philadelphia. An expansion of the program to include regional enterprises should come as soon as Philadelphia's new positioning has become established,

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Meanwhile, one of our recommendations with respect to product, the new INHP Visitors' Center, is that the visitors' center should have a very heavy regional focus so that visitors clearly understand the wide array of attractions in and around Philadelphia and encourage multiple repeat visits and positive word of mouth.

• The target market is defined as individuals living within a 200 mile radius of the City. By definition, that means that the residents of Philadelphia and its suburbs are indeed a target for the new marketing campaign.

Positioning Rationale

In addition to the three major components for a marketing position, it is important that a sound rationale be developed which provides permission to believe the benefits promised in advertising will indeed be delivered,

The rationale supporting Philadelphia's as "the quintessential All American City - Past and Present" is encyclopedic.

In reality, Philadelphia does have an unsurpassed lock on America's "past" -- that reality does, however, need to be conveyed to travelers, including:

• Benjamin Franklin • the Constitution • America's earliest government center • Betsy Ross • The Liberty Bell • Strong and Positive Linkages with African Americans • Independence National Park and 52 other national historic land marks • Over 100 other historical sites • a wealth of early American architecture

As it pertains to the "present," it is true that Philadelphia, like so many other cities in America has gone through a period of decline and rejuvenation. Unfortunately, far too many potential travelers are unaware that Philadelphia has emerged from a particularly bleak period and is now much stronger and significantly more exciting than ever before. There are numerous attributes that make Philadelphia a modern and exciting city to visit today --many of which carry an Americana theme, combined with the "best" a word

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associated with All American:

• it has been rated as the third most livable city in America, • it has many of America's best restaurants, museums and art

collections • America's largest and most prestigious flower show • America's best Fourth of July Celebration - Welcome America • virtually continuous array of local events -- many of which are free to the public • Army/Navy Game

In addition to the above, Philadelphia was recognized by the National Civic League in 1994 by being one of the top prize winners in its "All-America City Award Program" in recognition of civic excellence, This is yet another example of why Philadelphia, more than any other city in the country could lay claim to being America's All American City -Past and Present.

A potential added benefit of Philadelphia's recommended positioning as the All-American City may materialize as a result of the State's current advertising slogan of "America Starts Here." In reality, America started in Philadelphia. Depending on Philadelphia's ultimate advertising campaign execution, there may be synergistic elements that benefit the City.

Specific attractions, events and products that should be used as supporting rationale in any advertising communications will depend on the demands of the actual creative message. Let it suffice that there is ample rationale to support Philadelphia's recommended market positioning.

RESEARCH

Develop an extensive marketing research program to monitor the success of the communications effort and to aid in fine-tuning future efforts. Allocate $175,000 annually for research.

As pointed out throughout this report, Philadelphia does not have the research it needs in order to effectively market itself in an effective and professional manner. Research is needed in order to make informed marketing decisions, monitor the impact of image and promotional programs and ensure that the funds spent on promoting the City are used in the most effective manner.

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It is recommended that $175,000 is allocated each year toward research, From a traditional tourism perspective this may appear to be too much money, but Philadelphia has not followed traditional marketing practices in the past. It must now make a concerted effort to "catch-up" and build a professional, information based tourism marketing program, This will require quality research to measure the effectiveness of marketing efforts and to fine-tune future programs,

Some of the areas that need to be investigated on an on-going basis include:

• Economic Impact of Tourism -- The last economic impact study was conducted nearly five years ago, These studies need to be done on a regular basis to analyze the total impact of all tourists to the City -- day trippers, hotel visitors, VFRs and businessmen and conventioneers, Studies should be done to measure the impact during peak as well as shoulder seasons.

Economic impact will be one of the key measures for determining the impact of the marketing program and its ability to create economic benefit for Philadelphia.

• Awareness and Image -- The marketing program is specifically designed to increase awareness and consideration of Philadelphia as a vacation destination city. It is also designed to change attitudes about the City and create a positive image of it as "the quintessential All American City - Past and Present."

Attitude and awareness studies will be needed to monitor the effectiveness of the program. Perhaps the current quantitative study being fielded by the Mayor's Hospitality Cabinet can serve as the benchmark study. This area needs to be investigated further.

Any research that is conducted should be professionally managed and include a sufficient sample so the attitude and behavioral shifts among key segments of the market can be monitored. Key segments should include, but not be limited to visitors vs. non-visitors, families, African Americans, senior travelers, travel agents and individuals living within 100 miles and between 100 and 200 miles of the City.

• Motivating Factors -- A better understanding of why visitors are coming to Philadelphia and why non-visitors are not is needed,

• Visitor Source Markets -- Research needs to be conducted in order to determine the high potential markets -- those with the highest likelihood of vacationing in Philadelphia,

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When developing research programs to help monitor the effectiveness of the new marketing programs efforts should be made to seek cooperative opportunities, Other organizations within the City may be interested in some of the same information and may be willing to share the research costs.

An additional consideration would be to think of a portion of the research budget as cooperative funds, to be used to support individual organizations or groups in their efforts to better understand their customer and thus Philadelphia's.

MARKETING RECOMMENDATION SUMMARY

There are three basic marketing recommendations being made as a result of the Assessment of Philadelphia's past programs and potential for becoming a recognized vacation destination. These include:

• Spend a minimum of $3,000,000 annually promoting the City • Position Philadelphia as "the AII·American City •• Past and Present" • Use research to measure and refine marketing programs

Within those basic recommendations numerous issues will need to be addressed and resolved in order for Philadelphia to realize its full tourism potential. One of the key success factors will be the ability of the new tourism organization to harness the energy of local industry partners and help deliver a focused and powerful message to travelers.

There are numerous examples within the travel industry of destinations that have used marketing and advertising to dramatically increase tourism and contributions to the local economy.

In the mid 1980s, Aruba found itself in dire economic straits. Its number one industry, oil, was effectively shut down with the departure of the country's major oil refinery. Faced with unemployment as high as 50%, the country turned to tourism for help. Aruba began to aggressively develop and promote its tourism product outspending the vast majority of destinations on a per tourist arrival basis.

Aruba's aggressive marketing program had a great return on investment. In 1987 it received 231,000 visitors and In 1994 that figure had grown by more than 2-% times to 582,000. During that same period overall arrivals to the Caribbean Region increased less than 50%.

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The Cayman Islands, with virtually no natural resources has relied on marketing to build its tourism industry. A country of less than 20,000 inhabitants annually hosts nearly 1 million visitors.

Illinois spends over $30 million annually promoting tourism to the State. For 1995 the State was planning to increase its marketing and advertising budget by $2 million and estimated that the total economic benefit for the State would exceed $100 million.

New York State's "I Love NY" program began in 1977 with a $3.7 million advertising budget. It increased to $10 million by the early '80's, dropped for several years to under $8, increased to over $15 million in the late '80's and has dropped back down to $3 million in 1993. Regular tracking has shown that advertising awareness and as a result share of tourism market, as measured by key tourism indicators, have followed directly the state's commitment to advertising.

In reviewing the marketing efforts of successful destinations there is one thing that can be said with a great deal of certainty. None of the successful ones achieved their status without an aggressive communications program.

At this point. there is no way to predict the absolute economic impact of the recommended marketing effort for the City of Philadelphia. This is in part due to the lack of good benchmarks with which to predict impact. Based on the consultants' experience, it is believed that the economic contribution of the $3 million spent in advertising would be paid for several times over through increased tax revenue and job creation within the City.

With good research, it will be possible to determine the optimum amount of marketing spending in future years.

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VII. ORGANIZATION

INTRODUCTION

The product and marketing sections of this report have delineated a few select recommendations that are designed to make a difference.

Implementation of the product recommendations must be achieved primarily by government and by private sector groups which want to support specific attractions or events. For instance improving streets capes , parking and transportation linkages will be the job of government while the building of a new visitors center, the Constitution Center and the enhancement of specific attractions within the visitor domain need to be accomplished with a preponderance of the energy and funding coming from the private sector.

Implementation of the marketing recommendations will take an organization that has a vision for the future, a commitment to and expertise in tourism marketing, the confidence of the hospitality industry and the power to strongly and steadily move the tourism agenda forward.

PHILADELPHIA TOURISM ORGANIZATIONS

While there are a plethora of organizations in Philadelphia involved in tourism related matters, there is no one organization that is recognized as the leader in tourism promotion. Among the groups, not including individual attractions, involved in tourism in Philadelphia are:

Convention & Visitors Bureau Convention Center City Representatives Office Mayor's Voluntary Tourism Action Committee Hospitality Cabinet Planning Commission Greater Philadelphia First Chamber of Commerce Center City District A number of other Business Improvement Districts Penn's Landing Corp.

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Delaware River & Port Authority Hotel Association Restaurant Association National Park Service Welcome America Historic Philadelphia Philadelphia Hospitality, Inc.

The tourism agenda is clearly being championed by Mayor Rendell, but the many groups involved in tourism have overlapping responsibilities with none emerging as the indisputable leader. As one Philadelphian described it, "Philadelphia has a predilection to start organizations with overlapping responsibilities, like the Olympic symbol with its overlapping circles."

Furthermore, despite the fact that there is considerable cross fertilization of board members there is surprisingly little coordination among the hospitality industry and tourism groups in Philadelphia. For instance the attractions rarely meet together as a group in an attempt to work together or discuss common issues and the hotels and attractions have only recently begun developing and promoting packages.

On the ever present problem of insufficient funding, rather than working together to increase the size of the pie, energies are directed by each organization toward separately trying to obtain a larger piece of the pie. Welcome America is one example of increasing and improving cooperation and coordination among groups but this is the exception rather than the rule.

From our review of the current situation and our conversations with many Philadelphians involved in tourism we have concluded that in order to accomplish the marketing recommendations and a greater degree of coordination and cooperation, an organization must take a leadership pOSition.

In reaching our conclusion we have surveyed the scene to understand what has not worked in Philadelphia, asked key players for recommendations, studied comparable situations in other urban destinations, addressed the specific dynamics of Philadelphia and drew on our own expertise.

While there are numerous organizations in Philadelphia involved with tourism, none is perceived to be effectively marketing Philadelphia as a tourist destination. The CVB which plays this role in many cities is seen, as a result of recent priorities, to be focussed on convention sales rather than tourism.

l'HlLAJ)ELP/flA TOIJ/IISM /I£I'O/lT:

118 O/lGANIZATlON

SUCCESSFUL TOURISM ORGANIZATIONS

Our own experience and a study of comparable cities conducted for this report (Philadelphia Tourism, Vol. II, "Com parables") has provided us with a list of

ingredients and qualities of successful tourism organizations:

• Clear delineation of responsibilities

• Funds clearly allocated for tourism

• Continuity of funding

• Good communication & cooperation between

tourism stakeholders

• Sufficient research

• Good knowledge of target audiences

• Unified theme or message

• Healthy advertising budget

• Qualified staff with tourism expertise

• Enthusiasm

In Philadelphia, while there is a growing enthusiasm for tourism promotion and development and a number of tourism professionals, the other key ingredients are not present. If Philadelphia is to become the destination city it should be a structure needs to be created which can bring together the above listed essential qualities and can provide the following:

• Leadership

• Continuity & Stability

• Marketing Expertise

• Coordination

• Funding

119 P1lJLAOlilJ'HlA TOURISM REPORT,

OlWIlNI7.AT[()N

Basically an organization succeeds because of one or more of the following three reasons; people, power and money. The structure that Philadelphia should establish to promote tourism needs:

(1) The right people -- experienced, knowledgeable, hard working tourism professionals

(2) Power -- the ability to get things done and to get people and groups to work together

(3) Money -- sufficient resources to mount an effective, sustained marketing program

ORGANIZATIONAL OPTIONS

There are three options for an organization to promote Philadelphia tourism; it can be placed within government, placed within an existing organization or a new organization can be created. After a study of the pros and cons of each option, we have concluded that the creation of a new organization is the best solution. In the words of a prominent Philadelphia private sector CEO,

"Tourism is so important to Philadelphia it needs a new organization that doesn't exist today."

Following are lists of pros and cons for each of the three options. While we understand that intelligent arguments can be made in support of each of the options, it is our belief that in Philadelphia, at this time, the arguments in support of a new organization are most con\·incing.

Place tourism promotion organization within:

A. Government

To accomplish what is necessary in Philadelphia, the level of involvement would require the creation of a Deputy Mayor for Tourism, Tourism Commissioner or some similar operation which provided for the requisite expertise and authority.

I'IlIMIJELPlIIA I'OURISM REPORT:

120 ORGANIZATION

Pros:

• Power resides here

• A few governments have done the job well (New York State, Virginia, Charleston)

Cons:

• Little continuity (changes with each new administration, two term mayoralty rule)

• Turnover of personnel (i.e. seven different commerce commissioners in the ten years it took to create the new convention center)

• Civil service limits specific expertise and scope of staff selection

• Government rarely a good marketer

• Historically little money available

• Competes for funding with unrelated issues

• Local private sector skeptical of government's ability to market tourism and as a result may not be as supportive

• Mayor can assist even if organization not placed within government

B. An Existing Organization

There are a number of existing organizations in Philadelphia that might well house a new tourism marketing and promotion section. The various pros and cons, therefore, often relate specifically to the organization in which it might be placed. The eVB, the Chamber, Greater Philadelphia First are all possibilities. The pros and cons listed below are meant to be general rather than specific to an organization. Each of the potential organizations would have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Pros:

• Economies of scale

• Establish more quickly

• Less administrative issues

121 PHIUIiELPHIII tOVlI.lSM Rh'PORr,

ORGANIZATION

Cons:

• Not organizations primary responsibility

• Compete with other interests of the organization

• Overcome existing perceptions

• Current staff not tourism marketing oriented

• Not enough power

C. Create a New Organization

The idea is to develop a new organization to accomplish something tourism marketing that is not currently and has not been done adequately in Philadelphia for more than a decade.

Pros:

• Funds clearly allocated for tourism

• Overcome perception that current organizations can't do it

• Can be tailor made to meet specific needs

• Possess a freshness & energy needed to meet task

• Find best people to build new organization

• Image - shows real commitment to attracting tourists

• Not buried in a bureaucracy - keep lean & mean

• It would have no prior allegiances

• Best chance for coordinating other groups

• Provide continuity and permanence to tourism effort

Cons:

• Administratively more difficult

• Proliferation of entities

• Longer to set up

• Possible opposition from existing groups

PlllMIIIiLl'llfA TOURISM IIE'POIIT:

/22 ORGANI1A nON

ORGANIZATION'S RESPONSIBILITIES

The new organization which we envision and recommend must define a positive and compelling image of Philadelphia as a destination city and must then communicate that image to appropriate audiences.

Such an organization would have a number of responsibilities:

j, Leadership

It is important that Philadelphia have an aggressive tourism marketing organization that fills the vacuum that has existed for such a long time. This group should act as a champion and cheerleader for tourism development and promotion and actively convey the value of tourism to the community.

This group should develop and implement tourism action plans that have both short and long term goals. In its advocacy role it must encourage long term planning and effectively convey to the community that continuity and stability, not a quick fix, is the only way a tourism program can succeed,

It should also be the organization in Philadelphia that possesses the knowledge and expertise to monitor the advances in information technology which can have a positive impact on Philadelphia tourism and adapt those technologies to the city's tourism efforts.

Ii. Continuity & Stability

It is essential that the institutional structure and funding be ongoing, As discussed in the marketing session of this report, the key to an advertising campaign's success is sustainability, This has been proven time and again, especially with respect to tourism destinations, Unless there are assurances that the advertising and promotional campaign will be funded for a minimum of three years and managed by tourism professionals, we would recommend that the effort not be undertaken.

123 J>lIllAIJEUIlU 1'OURISM REPORT,

ORGANIZA Tl0N

iii. Marketing

The primary responsibility of the organization will be to market Philadelphia as a tourist destination. The development and implementation of its marketing plan will create and communicate the image that will help attract tourists. As part of that plan it must initiate a program of research which will allow the organization to effectively target its marketing and to measure the success of its activities.

Its staff will control the marketing funds, work with the advertising agency, help refine the positioning statement and develop a unified theme. A communications plan needs to be developed which will include print, radio, TV, PR, promotions and direct mail. Efforts must be made to capitalize on promotional opportunities such as movies, TV shows, and Philadelphia events.

The power to coordinate the tourism effort and the ability to leverage marketing funds is based on a program to dispense funds to groups which are interested in participating in co-op advertising and promotions. It will be the job of this new organization to develop criteria for this program and to encourage and identify co-op advertising and promotion opportunities which will be beneficial to the various attractions and consistent with and supportive of the overall image campaign. The organization's staff will review the co-op marketing proposals submitted to the organization and decide which to fund.

IV. Coordination

If Philadelphia is to move the tourism agenda forward its various organizations must work together more effectively. One of the key responsibilities of this organization, in its leadership role, will be to act as a catalyst for the coordination and cooperation of the tourism stakeholders.

While not taking responsibility for events or attractions, the organization must help coordinate programs and activities and develop new alliances. It must create and help facilitate both formal and informal networks so that the various attractions and tourist organizations not only know what one another is doing but find ways to work together. Its objective should be that with respect to Philadelphia tourism the whole will truly become greater than the sum of its parts.

124 J'1llL-lDHLPIflA TOOl/ISM I/El'OIl7)

ORGrlNJ7.ATION

Special efforts need to be made to:

• involve the NPS with the Historic District, Penn's Landing and South Street

• to encourage the city and regions to work together

• to prompt the hotels and restaurants to become more active in developing promotions with the attractions

• to persuade the state to develop new partnerships with the city

• to convince all tourism stakeholders that they must playa role in improving tourism

• to inspire those stakeholders to join together to reach the overall goal of making Philadelphia a first class destination city.

The organization's emphasis must be to encourage a coordinated marketing program. With such a large and critical job, it must not be diverted from its primary task. Therefore, while the organization's staff might reflect upon and offer suggestions about such important tourism issues as quality control, hospitality training, product development, converting conventioneers to tourist and event management, it must be made perfectly clear that these are responsibilities of other groups and organizations and not the new organization which must remain focussed on marketing Philadelphia.

v. Funding

There has been little government funding available for or devoted to tourism promotion in Philadelphia for more than a decade. The private sector has contributed to developing events and programs aimed at improving tourism product such as Welcome America, Penn's Landing events and Historic Philadelphia but almost no money has been devoted to advertising.

The single most prevalent problem for tourism marketing organizations is finding adequate funding. There is no one source that will fund 100% of the costs over a period of years.

One of the responsibilities of the new organization will be to identify dedicated revenue streams that can provide the continuity that is required. Initial funding is the most difficult to locate. Once a marketing plan operates for a number of years and proves its value, it should be easier to locate funding sources .

125 .l'Hll..4Jll!U'lfJA 1'O(J!llSM !lE.I'O!lr,

O!lGANI7.ATION

Staff of the new organization will have as one of its responsibilities studying and identifying funding sources such as government appropriations, taxes and private sector contributions.

In addition to the information on funding found in Volume IIof this report it is interesting to note that within the past few months the Hawaii Senate has passed a bill that would increase the states hotel room tax by 2% with the added revenue funding the Hawaii Visitors' Bureau. In Miami the CVB is considering shutting down the City's visitation centers outside the state to put more money into advertising. Miami is also considering new forms of taxation to boost its current $1.5 million a year advertising budget.

PHILADELPHIA TOURISM MARKETING CORPORATION

Our recommendations for the format or structure of the new organization to market Philadelphia are as follows:

i. Working title: Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp.

The organization's name should represent its primary objective which is marketing Philadelphia for tourism purposes.

ii. Legal Structure: Not-For-Profit-Corp

This provides a quick and efficient mechanism to allow the marketing program to be started as soon as funding is located. It is also a structure that may facilitate contributions from the private sector because of tax deductibility.

iii. Mission

ESTABLISH PHILADELPHIA AS A DESIRABLE OVERNIGHT VACATION DESTINATION CITY.

ATTRACT DISCRETIONARY TRAVELLERS WHO WILL STAY IN HOTELS AND MOTELS, VISIT ATTRACTIONS AND PATRONIZE RESTAURANTS, RETAIL STORES AND OTHER PHILADELPHIA BUSINESSES.

THIS IS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED PRIMARILY BY ESTABLISHING A POSITIVE IMAGE FOR THE CITY, THROUGH COORDINATION OF TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS AND PROMOTION OF PHILADELPHIA THROUGH MARKETING ACTIVITIES INCLUDING ADVERTISING, PRo DIRECT MAIL AND OTHER MEANS.

126 PllllADlJU'llIA 7'OURl~M IWJ'ORT.·

ORGANIZA UON

iv. Staffing

The new organization should have a small board and staff. In loday's parlance the staff should be "lean and mean." Overhead should be kept low, bureaucracy avoided and as large a percentage of the budget as possible should be devoted to advertising and marketing.

To begin there should be three professionals and one or two support staff. It is critical that the professionals have tourism marketing experience. There should be a president, an individual in charge of marketing and an individual responsible for coordination and funding.

The staff can be kept small because much of the work will be done by the advertising agency chosen to execute the marketing campaign. Other marketing initiatives will be executed by Philadelphia tourism attractions and members of the hospitality industry.

In addition to the Board, there should be an Advisory Council, consisting of tourism stakeholders who meet regularly with the PTMC's staff.

The board of the PTMC should playa role in the creation and oversight of the proposed Visitors' Center at Independence Mall, and the staff can assist with programmatic, promotional and regional components.

A proposed organizational chart for the PTMC follows:

v. Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the organization, described in more detail earlier, should be:

1. Developing and implementing an effective tourism marketing program 2. Coordination of the various tourism stakeholders in Philadelphia 3, Developing dedicated revenue streams necessary for continuity

The organization most like the one we are suggesting is the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation. The structure, budget and funding of that organization are described in Volume II of this report, "Comparables". The most important similarities are the size of the marketing budget, the independence of the organization and the size of the staff.

127 Pll1l.ADELPIl1A TOURISM REPORT,

ORGANIZATION

PHILADELPffiA TOURISM MARKETING CORP. I

"ADVISORY COUNCIL"

TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS

o Attractions o Events o Hospitality Industry o Civic Organi zations

BOARD

o Pew's Rep. o Mayor's Rep. o Governor's Rep. o Community Rep. o Business Rep. o Business Rep. o CVB'sRep.

I ------------------J

1 PRESIDENT

.... ----------.. I a Leadership

l'ttARKETLl'OG

a Research a Advertising aPR a Promotion

a Administration a Coord ination

VISITORS' CEI\'TER AT IfI.'DEPE1'iDENCE MALL

1 COORDINATION

& FUNDING

o Attractions o Events o Environment o Quality o Create Revenue Streams

vi. Budget

In order to promote the city aggressively and consistently, we believe the following budget is necessary:

Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp,

Advertising & production Co-op programs Other programs & 'operations Miscellaneous promotions Research

Total

$2,000,000 $1,000,000 $ 650,000 $ 175,000 L175,000

$4,000,000

• ATIEMPTS SHOULD BE MADE THROUGli TI,Io USE OF IN KINO CONTRIBUTIONS AND OTHER MEANS TO KEEP OPERATIONS COSTS AT A MINIMUM IN ORDER TO DEVOTE MORE OF THE 8UDGET DIRECTLY TO ADVERTISING,

The advertising and co-op programs have been described in greater detail in the marketing section of this report,

vii. Relationship to Other Organizations

One of the concerns of creating a new organization is that it would add to the proliferation of already existing organizations in Philadelphia, In order to combat this building of layers or "overlapping Olympic circles" we recommend that some of the existing organizations or some specific responsibilities of continuing organizations be folded into the new organization, For instance the activities of the Mayor's Action Council for Visitors and certain functions of the City Representative's office and the CVB could be handled by the PTMC. The specifics and other possibilities for consolidation should be studied,

With the small staff of the PTMC focussed on marketing, and to maximize the amount of funding going toward image building and co-op programs, we recommend that tourism sales,(i.e. motorcoach, special interest, and packages) remain the responsibility of the CVB. Also telemarketing 800# and fulfillment operations should be handled outside of the PTMC.

129 PHilADELPHiA TOlJR1SM RIWOll1,

ORGANIZATION

viii. Funding

An effective marketing campaign will not be implemented and Philadelphia will not reach its goal of becoming a destination city without sufficient and sustainable funding. This is particularly true since so little money has been devoted to promotion and advertising for more than a decade. A clear and continuing financial commitment must be made to the tourism promotion effort.

A review of the current economic environment in Philadelphia revealed that potential funding sources fell broadly into three categories; private sector, government, and other.

Private Sector

This group includes local corporations, business organizations and foundations. Local corporations should support this marketing campaign for one or more of the following three reasons; 1) meeting its corporate citizenship responsibilities, 2) use for promotional purposes, and 3) business self interest (this is especially

true for companies in the hospitality industry but it is also true for other businesses which will benefit by a more economically sound Philadelphia).

Local corporations have been contributing to various events and product improvements aimed at stimulating the tourist situation in Philadelphia, in fact, quite a few people referred in their interviews to a "corporate funding fatigue" that was present in Philadelphia.

We contend that if presented properly, with the benefits to Philadelphia set forth, that considerable funding can be raised from local corporations. Since the economic impact of improved tourism can be so significant we believe that the business associations such as Philadelphia First. the Chamber of Commerce and tile Hotel and Restaurant Associations should not only assist in obtaining funding from its members but should also make contributions themselves.

The Pew Charitable Trusts have generously supported tourism related institutions in Philadelphia. PEW has been a major supporter of a number of different tourist attractions such as the zoo, Independence Hall, the Academy of Music and many historic properties. It has also contributed to events or activities tllat draw tourists such as the Flower Show and Historic Philadelphia. PEWs interest in and understanding of the importance of tourism to Philadelphia is further evidenced by its funding of this study, We recommend that PEW and other local foundations identify those recommendations in this report which they

PfIlIADELPlllA TOIJRISM REPORT:

J3() ONGANIZA110N

believe meet their grant giving guidelines and participate in Philadelphia's tourism effort with significant contributions. A contribution by PEW or other foundations could serve as an effective catalyst for additional funding.

The hospitality industry and the attractions themselves have a special responsibility to support the city's marketing efforts. The hotels for instance should be doing more to promote Philadelphia. To date there has been surprisingly little hotel sponsored promotion of the city. This is especially true when contrasted to hotel activity in competitive cities. The Philadelphia hotels should evidence their support by contributing to the funding of the new organization and by participating in the co~op advertising program.

Government

Tourism promotion is among the most important economic development tools available to government and should be treated as such when making funding and budget decisions. A significant portion of the funding for the new organization must, therefore, come from government sources, either from direct appropriations or taxation.

The government sources for direct appropriations include the city, the state and quasi governmental agencies such as the Delaware River Port Authority. States are critical to most of the tourism advertising campaigns throughout the US. The Com parables volume of this report provides a number of examples of a states participation in support of a city's efforts. Louisiana, Massachusetts and New York all play central roles in the tourism promotion of their major cities and regions.

Pennsylvania's funding of tourism is presently undergoing changes. It is important for the new organization to attempt to obtain commitments of assistance for Philadelphia's rejuvenated tourism marketing approach.

The city itself must also evidence its commitment by agreeing to fund the new organization for a minimum of three years at predetermined levels. The city's commitment whether it comes from economic development funds or other sources will be central to attracting the remainder of the funds necessary to meet the projected budget of $4 million a year for the first three years.

Since a continuing dedicated revenue stream is so essential to the success of the organization and its programs serious consideration should be given to additional taxation, the proceeds of which would be devoted to tourism marketing

PHlLAJ)1UJ'IllA TOURISM REPORT:

131 ORGANlZil TION

and development A small increase in the hotel tax makes the most sense for a number of reasons:

1, the direct relationship between hotel occupancy and tourism promotion.

2, the fact that the current tax of 13% leaves some room for increase before reaching the level at which most authorities believe occupancy is negatively affected by the amount of the tax.

3, we have been advised that a 1 % hotel tax increase at current occupancy levels would result in $2 million, Assuming that the revenues from the increase in the hotel tax were dedicated specifically for tourism marketing the new organization would benefit by having a large percentage of the resources needed for a marketing program assured over time, This would provide the continuity so critical to a marketing campaign,

We understand the difficulties in increasing the hotel tax and insuring that the revenues are dedicated to the tourism marketing program, however its value to Philadelphia's tourism effort is so great that state and local officials should consider this funding opportunity,

Quasi-governmental agencies such as the Delaware River Port Authority should also be approached for funding, The Authority has a record of supporting economic development ventures and tourism promotion fits squarely within that definition,

Other

The Convention & Visitors Bureau currently receives state tourism funding as the city's designated tourist agency, Since we are recommending that the CVB retain some of its tourism responsibilities such as tourism sales (see above) it would be possible for the CVB to retain that designation, However, since the tourism marketing efforts would be managed by the new organization the CVB could contribute a portion of its budget to the new marketing effort.

Throughout our interviewing process and study there was constant reference to the possibility of Riverboat Gambling. This study has not dealt with the issue because of the uncertainty of the passage of riverboat gambling legislation and the uncertainty of the form it would take if it were instituted. However, should it come to pass, the revenues derived from riverboat gambling would be an appropriate source for funding the tourism marketing campaign.

132 Pll1lAfJl)Ll'IlIA TOURISM REPOR1,

ORGANlZA TION

NEXT STEPS

The new organization which we have recommended is central to quickly and effectively improving tourism in Philadelphia and steps to create it should be undertaken as soon as possible. Adjustments in the organization's format may be made, however, it is important to begin establishing the organization to begin the groundwork necessary for an advertising campaign.

Despite our belief that the organization described herein is the most effective and efficient way to proceed, we recommend going forward only if three conditions are met.

1) Adequate funding is guaranteed for a minimum of three years

2) Tourism professionals are recruited to staff the organization

3) The organization has the support of local government and Philadelphia tourism stakeholders

If these three conditions are not met the new organization would have little chance of success and the money devoted to it would not be wisely spent.

Obviously, the key ingredient in moving the process forward is to obtain assurances of the requisite funding. The incorporation of the not-for-profit, establishment of the Board and Advisory Council, recruiting of staff and other administrative matters need to be taken care of.

A search for an advertising agency must be conducted, which would include criteria and screener development, solicitation of qualified firms, evaluation of capabilities and presentations. Together with the advertising agency a marketing strategy must be developed and an advertising campaign implemented.

Cooperative advertising and marketing guidelines must be developed, tourism stakeholders need to be enlisted to participate in the cooperative marketing program and coordination efforts need to be initiated.

Other issues such as obtaining additional funding, developing a research plan, working with the state and regional groups, advising on the proposed Visitors Center at the INHP and developing relationships and clarifying responsibilities with current tourism organizations will need to be addressed over time.

PfllUJ)HLl'HfA TOURISM REPORT:

133 ORGAN17.ATION

APPENDIX A

INTERVIEWS

PHILADELPHIA TOURISM

DATE(S) NAME ORGANIZATION INTERVIEWED

Ed Rendell Mayor July 25 Aug. 5 Dec. 21 Dec. 22 April 6 May 25

David Cohen Chief of Staff Nov. 28 Dec. 21

Thomas Ridge Governor May 25

Karen vdH Butler Mayor's Action Committee July 29 on Visitors Sep. 26

Vincent Fumo State Senator Oct. 11 Randy Albright Senate Appropriations Committee

Bill Giles Phillies & Chairman CVB Sept. 1

Tom Muldoon CVB, President July 29 Jan. 5

Meryl Levitz CVB, Tourism Development July 29 Sep. 26 Dec. 16 Dec. 21 Dec. 22 Jan. 5

Andrew Tod CVB, Marketing Aug. 11

R.C. Staab CVB, Communications Aug. 11 Sep. 26 Jan. 5

Mark Beyerle CVB, Visitors Center Aug. 10 Sep. 28

- 2 -

DATE(S) NAME ORGANIZATION INTERVIEWED

Bob Butera Pa. Convention Center Aug. 5

Martha Aikens NPS, Superintendent Aug. 5 Aug. 12 May 1

Deidre Gibson NPS, Planner Aug. 9 Nov. 18 Nov. 28 April 14 May 1

Marie Rust NPS, Field Director, May 1 North East Region

B. J. Griffin NPS, Regional Director, Mid Nov. 28 Atlantic Region

Dave Hollenberg NPS, Chief of the National April 14 Register Programs Division May 1

Kathleen Dilonardo NPS, Chief of Interpretation Sept. 26 & Visitor Services

Denise L. Goren Deputy Mayor, Transportation Dec. 22

Nancy Moses Historic Philadelphia Aug. 10 Aug. 11 Sept 1

Dominick Sabatini Penn's Landing Aug. 11 Felicia Falcone Jodie Milkman

Bill Hankowsky PIDC Aug. 25 Sept. 1 March 27

Barbara Kaplan Planning Commissioner July 29

- 3 -

DATE(S) NAME ORGANIZATION INTERVIEWED

Carol Cook Planning Commission July 29 Aug, 18

Ernie Leonardo Planning Commission Aug. 18

Paul Levy Center City District July 19 Dec, 22 March 27

Pamela Harper Wilson Airport-Marketing Aug, 11 Mark Pesce Airport-PR

John Claypool Greater Philadelphia First July 19 Mary Gregg

Charles Pizzi Chamber of Commerce, Pres, Aug, 25

Richard Maloney Chamber, Culture Aug. 25

Karen Davis Chamber, Communications Aug, 25

Richard Smoot CEO, PNC Bank Aug, 25 Donald Haskins VP Public Affairs

F aye Olivieri Hotel Association, Aug, 12 Director

Kathleen Riordan Hotel Association, Manager Sept. 28

Jim Beley Ritz Carlton Aug, 5 Errin Smith

Debbie Batt Restaurant Assoc. Sept. 1

George Guenther Talmage Tours, Pres. Sept. 28

Pete Hoskins Zoo Aug. 25

Judy Wellington Aquarium Aug. 11

·4·

DATE(S) NAME ORGANIZATION INTERVIEWED

Jane Pepper Horticultural Society July 18 Sept. 1 Nov. 10 March 2

Liz Hauck Horticultural Society July 18 Carol Lindemann

Bruce Crawley Minority Action Committee July 11

Theodore Herschberg University of Pennsylvania Aug. 9

George Beach Beach Advertising Aug. 9 Barbara lanarella

Maryann Sesso Elkman Advertising Aug. 9

Fred Stein Creative Consultants, Inc. Sept. 1

Mark Hoy Dir., Dept. of Commerce, Oct. Office of Travel Marketing, Nov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Harris Eckstut South Street Association Sept. 30

Marcia Longworth Wharton Nov. 10 Dan Leventhal Roz Cohen

Michael Rubin Public Policy Nov. 7 University of Pennsylvania

Nan Eliot State of Pennsylvania Feb. 16 P.R. Representative in U.K.

Molly Espy Philadelphia Hospitality, Inc March 3

Robert Brasier President & CEO March 2 National Constitution Center

- 5 -

DATE(S) NAME ORGANIZATION INTERVIEWED

Stuart Feldman Vice President March 2 National Constitution Center

Ruth Nadler Research Dir., NYC CVB Aug. 17

Connie Goldstein Editor & Associate Publisl1er Aug. 18 Meetings & Conventions Mag.

Melissa Fromento East Coast Sales Rep., Aug. 10 Meetings & Conventions Mag. Aug. 18

Kathy Brashish Big Apple Greeters Aug. 9 Sept. 22

Rebecca Rimel President, Pew July 7 March 3 May 1 May 25

Michael Rubinger Pew July 7 Aug. 12 March 3 March 27 May 1 May 25

Tamar Datan Pew March 27 May 1 May 25

Doug Bauer Pew July '7

- 6 -

MEETINGS

DATE(S) NAME ORGANIZATION INTERVIEWED

Reps of various Hospitality Cabinet Meeting July 25 organizations (approx. 30 present)

Crawley, Levitz Hospitality Cabinet Nov. 28 Tissian, Tuppeny Marketing Sub Committee Dale Kramer

Levitz, Goren, Levy Philly Phi ash Meeting Dec. 22 Eckstut, Skulnick

Hunt, Doran, Dalto, Philadelphia Arts Festival Dec. 22 Rendell, Eastwood, Haskin

20 Participants Amtrak - Rail Pass Jan. 5

Numerous participants Call to Action Conference May 25 Tourism Workshop

NAME

Matt Miller

Alma Megginson

Michelle Ellis

Jonathan Hyde

Todd Ryan

Larry Meehan

Tony Nunziante

Stacy Reinking

Kate Haymaker

Ade Moslieiec

Bill Stone

Margaritte Tully

Cameron Sullivan

Krista Rahe

- 7 -

STUDY OF COMPARABLE CITIES interviews conducted in March 1995

CITY ORGANIZATION

Baltimore Associate Director, eVB

Baltimore Director of Tourism Sales, eVB

Boston Mass. Office Travel & Tourism

Boston Dep. Dir., Mass Office Travel & Tourism

Boston PR, Greater Boston CVB

Boston Dir. of Tourism, Greater Boston CVB

Boston Mayor's Office of Tourism

Chicago PR, Chicago CTTB

Chicago Media Relations Manager Chicago CTTB

Chicago Director of Finance Chicago CTTB

Chicago Director of Marketing Chicago CTTB

Chicago Director, Chicago Tourism Bureau

Chicago PR, Chicago Tourism Bureau

Denver Director of Travel Industry Sales, DenverCVB

-a -

NAME CITY ORGANIZATION

Carl Lion New Orleans Director of Tourism, New Orleans CVB

Gabrielle Spritz New Orleans Research, New Orleans CVB

Gary Eselon New Orleans Vice President, New Orleans Marketing Corporation

Sandy Jutras New Orleans Assistant to Vice President New Orleans Marketing Corp.

Gary Huetman New Orleans Director of Tourism, Louisiana State Dept. of Tourism

Ross Cruseman New Orleans Media Director, Louisiana State Dept. of Tourism

Joyce Lee Pittsburgh Director of Tourism, Pittsburgh CVB

Marla Meyer Pittsburgh Communications Director, Pittsburgh CVB

Sharon Easton San Antonio Director of Visitor Marketing, San Antonio CVB

John Marks San Francisco Director of Marketing, San Francisco CVB

Steve Morris Seattle President, Seattle CVB

Marlene Jones Seattle V. P. of Tourism Development, Seattle CVB

Melanie Suggs Washington DC DC Committee of Tourism

Marie Tibor Washington DC Director of Tourism Sales, Washington DC CVB

Karen O'Neill Washington DC Tourism Sales Manager, Washington DC eVB

Bernard Fagen

Sue Ellen May

Wilke Nelson

Dorrie Hardy

Katherine Hax

- 9 -

INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED BY THE WHARTON SCHOOL PHILADELPHIA TOURISM STRATEGY

Program Analyst, Office of Policy

Member Services

Grant Officer

Research Analyst Office of Tourism Development

National Park Service

National Parks and Conservation Association

National Park Foundation

Dare County, NC Tourism Bureau

Maryland Dept. of Economic & Employment Development

Jonathan C. Hyde Deputy Director Office of Travel & Tourism The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

APPENDIX B

l~lHrj{L.lft.D IflLPlflAt T{) URI5'j.~1[

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE(S)

A. REPORTS

B. ACTION MEMOS 6

C. BOOKS 7

.D. TOURISM PROMOTION BROCHURES 8

E. SPECIAL IN'DiREST BROCHURES 10

F. INDEPENDENCE NA T[ONAL HISTORIC 1 1 PARK MATERIALS

G. DATA, STATISTICS 12

H. ARTICLES 13

I. MISCELLANE01JS 15

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. REPORTS

Business & Leisure Travel Report with Philadelphia Market Facts, 4/13/94, from R.C. Staab, CVB

Bringing the World to New York City, The 1994 Tourism Marketing Plan of the New York City CVB

Center City District Preparing for the Public Environment, 1993 Survey Results

Center City District Retail Market Study January, 1995

City of Philadelphia Five Year Financial Plan Economic Development Section January, 1994

City of Philadelphia Request to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program (For Avenue of the Arts) November, 1992

Destination Philadelphia Philadelphia City Planning Commission Date:

1991 Surveys for Destination Philadelphia Philadelphia City Planning Commission:

Special Events' Surveys (404 interviews) Attractions Surveys (preliminary) (787 interviews) Hotel Questionnaire (365 responses)

Destination New York - New Jersey: Tourism and Travel to the Metropolitan Region Port Authority of NY and NJ December 1994 Gallup Poll: Business Executives' Image of Philadelphia, prepared for Greater Philadelphia Economic Development Coalition, Nov" 1986

Destination New York-New Jersey: Tourism and Travel to the Metropolitan Region Part II of Tourism & The Arts in the New York-New Jersey Region December 1994

Geodemographic Lifestyle Segmentation Pennsylvania Travel Information Requesters, Final Report, August 1991, The Melior Group

Greater Philadelphia First Tile Attitudes and Opinions of Residents of the Greater Philadelphia Region - Baseline Survey January, 1995

Highlights of Image Research Affecting Greater Philadelphia 1983 - 1992 GPEDC - 1986

Hotel Guests in Philadelphia, 1989, Robert E, Coughlin, September, 1990

Lifestyle Segmentation II: Pennsylvania Travel Information Requesters 1990-1991 Final Report, The Melior Group

Making Full Use Of Philadelphia's History National Constitution Center, Stuart Feldman, June 1995

Market Demand and Economic Impact Study for the Proposed Pennsylvania Convention Center, Pannell Kerr Forster, May 1988

-3-

Mayor's Hospitality Cabinet, Mission Statements:

Office of Arts and Culture Office of City Representative Pennsylvania Convention Center Philadelphia CVB Penn's Landing Corporation Avenue of the Arts Philadelphia Hospitality, Inc.

MetropollV Volume I, Meeting Patterns and the Sales Process, Economic Research Associates, 1991

Metropol V Volume II, Attitudinal and Image Findings of Philadelphia, 1993

New York Tourism 2000, A Strategic Plan to Prepare NYC for the Next Generation of Visitors

Old Philadelphia District Plan Working Draft Philadelphia City Planning Commisssion

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Philadelphia Flower Show Marketing Study & Plan, January, 1994

Pennsylvania International Tourism Taskforce (PITT) Request for Proposal, Public relations representation in the United Kingdom

Pennsylvania Convention Center Sales (7/1/93·12/31/2006) May 1, 1994

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau Sales and Marketing Plan and Budget, FY 1994

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau Sales & Marketing Plan 1994-1995

-4 -

Section X: Tourism Marketing, Promotion & Sales Section XI: Communications & Public Relations Activities Section XII: Sales & Marketing Budget

Philadelphia International Airport Press Kit

Research Report on Cultural Tourism Prepared for the Pew Cilaritable Trusts November 15, 1993

South Broad Street Economic and Cultural Development Plan Executive Summary Central Philadelphia Development Corporation October 1992

South Broad Street Economic and Cultural Development Plan Final Report Central Philadelphia Development Corporation October 1992

Survey of Visitors to Philaldelphia Independence Hall for Sheraton Society Hill, Donna Dolphin, 1985.

The Case for Regional Cooperation and Philadelphia Citistate Project, Theodore Herschberg, Center for Greater Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, February, 1994

The Economic Impact of Travel on Pennsylvania Cities 1991 & 1992 US Travel Data Center, February 1994

The Greater Philadelphia Metro Report 1995 Edition Cherbo Publishing Group, Inc.

The Minority Convention Market 1988 Conducted for the Minority Advisory Committee of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

-, 5 ~

The Port Authority of NY & NJ Alliance for the Arts/New York City Partnership Partnership for New Jersey

Trends in the Hotel Industry PKF Consulting, May 1994

Tourists in Philadelphia, 1989: Report to the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Robert Coughlin, April 30, 1990

Tourism Marketing Promotion and Sales Plan CVB - 1994-1995 Draft

Tourists in Philadelphia, 1987, Robert Coughlin

U,S. Department of the Interior Letter Re: Thoughts on Tourism Management Organizations for Philadelphia Deirdre Gibson National Park Service Mid-Atlantic Region Nov, 21, 1994

"We the People 200" Final Report on Tracking Study Conducted for CVB by Spiro & Associates, November 20, 1987

B. ACTION MEMOS

American Society of Travel Agents 1995 - Philadelphia - Plans, budget etc. PCVS, Dec 1994

Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association Co-op Advertising Memo April 2, 1992

-6-

Hospitality is Big Business, So Let's Get in Line, Ted Hershberg, Feb" 1992 article in Philadelphia Inquirer

Memo to Molly Espey Executive Director, Philadelphia Hospitality, Inc. from John S. Needham, Director,

Memo from Tom Muldoon, CVB, to Destination Memo Recipients, Re: Responses to Three Year Plan; Funding, Respondents to Three Year Plan, October 21, 1987

Memo to Tom Muldoon from Vincent Grandineeti Re: Pennsylvania Convention Center/ Philadelphia Marriott Definites & Tentative Updated July 11, 1994

Memo to Tom Muldoon from Meryl Levitz, Philadelphia CVS re Three Year Plan to Build Philadelphia's Destination Status, August 25, 1987

Memo from Tom Muldoon to Martha Aikens Presenting ideas from INHP Long Term Planning Committee June 13, 1994

Philadelphia Convention Calendar 1994-2002 Convention & Visitor's Bureau

Proposal for Annual Image Enhancement of Greater Philadelphia, 1991, Greater Philadelphia First, 2 1/2 pages

Raising Philadelphia's Image, A Call for Action, Revised: 3/30/94

C. BOOKS

1993 Places Rated Almanac, RanKing of all 343 Metropolitan Areas David Savagtau and Richard Boyer

Philadelphia Access Harper Collins, 190 pages, 1994

Philadelphia Almanac and Citizens Manual, 223 pages, 1994

Philadelphia Convention Calendar, 1994 - 2002, CVB

-7-

Women in the City of Brotherly Love ... and Beyond

Your Friend, William Penn

.. 13··

D. TOURISM PROMOTION BROCHURES

A Walking Tour of Center City

Celebrate Thomas Jefferson's 250th Birthday in Philadelphia

Chilton's 1994 Guide to Historic Society Hill

Destination Chestnut Hill

Fort Mifflin

Independence Park NPS 1994 Summer Highlights Flyer

Map, Eastern Pennsylvania, CVB

Map, Independence National Historical Park

Multicultural Summer Festivals 94 CVB

Mummers Museum

Old Town Trolley Tours

Penn's Landing, 1994 Program

Pennsylvania 1993 Official Transportation Map, DoT

Philadelphia City Hall, Wm. Penn Tours

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau Press kit including Official Visitors Guide, numerous brochures including Yo Philadelphia, Walking Guide, Calendar of Events, Hotel guide, etc.

Philadelphia 1994 Hotel Guide, CVB The Philadelphia Illustrated Map,

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an easy walking guide to over 250 historical and cultural sites, 1987,

Philadelphia Map and Classified Directory, Greater Downtown Area Spring-Autumn 1994

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Pililadelphia Official Calendar of Events June 1, 1994 - September 1, 1994 Sunoco

Philadelphia Official Calendar of Events 12/1/94 - 311195

Philadelphia Official Visitors Guide, Sprin9 Summer 1994

Philadelphia's Parkway Museums

Philadelphia Post Card

Philadelphia Showsoffl Flower, Craft, Antiques shows Open House

Philadelphia Trolley Works

Please Touch Museum

Sacred Sites of Center City Walking Tour

See Philly in a Phlash

Shopping Guide· a short walk from the Pennsylvania Convention Center

Thomas Eakins Philadelphia Brochure

Unconventional Art

E. SPECIAL INTEREST BROCHURES

20 Hip Happening days and nights for under $20

Philadelphia for Kids A to Z CVB Brochure

Philadelphia Pop Culture WPVI TV6

Philadelphia Seniors on the Go

Sports and Adventure Guide Guide to the Delaware Valley Cilannel WPVI-TV

The Unadulterated Guide to Philadelphia WPVlrrv6

Thirty things for a thirty something weekend in Philadelphia

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F. INDEPENDENCE NA TlONAL HISTORIC PARK MATERIALS

GMP Plan Newsletter # 2 Aug, 1994

GMP Survey Results, 217 responses, Aug-Sept, 1993

Guidelines for Interpretive Programs, August 1986 Independence NHP, The Pastry Shop: Pie Charts and Other Statistical Delicacies, 1992.

Independence NHP, Visitor Services Project, 1987 (study of park routes).

INHP Newsletter #1 and Survey, Aug, 1993

"Most Popular National Parks," INHP listed as 12th most visitors, 3,140,510

Public Law 795 - 80th Congress, June 28, 1948 Established INHP

Special Events Permits 1/92 - 7/94

Speech, Secretary of Interior Babbitt America's National Parks: The "Welcome" Sign is Out, May 23, 1994 at INHP

Visitor Statistics 1993 by month Last 10 years 1983 - 1993

-12"

G. DATA, STATISTICS

City of Philadelphia, Hotel Room Rental Tax, FY 1990·1994 (annual), FY 1994 (monthly)

Employment and Wages by County and Industry for 1992, Population and Labor Force, Pennsylvania Department of Labor, Summer, 1994

Hotel Summary, room inventory by hotel, location, Philadelphia CVB, January, 1994

Independence National Historic Park, Visitor Use Summary, monthly and annually, for 1987-1993, by Park Unit

Pennsylvania Convention Center Booking Update, Philadelphia CVB, 9/12/94

Philadelphia Trends in the Hotel Industry, monthly reports, 1993, 1994 to July, PKF Consulting,

H. ARTICLES

"Let's Sell More Tourists on Canada", The Financial Post, May 14, 1994

"Segmentation of the Senior Pleasure Travel Market", Shoemaker, "Journal of Travel Research", Winter, 1989, pp. 14-21

Ackerman, Jerry, "Saunders on Hub Tourism", Boston Globe, June 13,1994, p. 18

Brandt, Cameron, "Safety First, Say Travelers", The WorldPaper, March 1995

Dunn, Brian "Going Grey: Seniors are Becoming a Formidable Market Which Can't Be Ignored" Calgary Herald, April 25, 1993 p. F1

Fisher, Christy, "US Tourist Locales Feel Pinch", Advertising Age, March 7, 1994 pp. 8,46

Hasek, Glenn, "Canada's Hoteliers Seek Tourism Body," Hotel & Motel Management, October 17, 1994, pp. 1,26

Hirsch, James S., "Why Tourists Love Stress-Free Big Easy", Wall Street Journal, Feb. 24, 1995

Hobbs, Bill, "Toronto Marketing Effort Targets Tourists", Amusement Business, April 4-10, 1994, p. 21

Jusko, Jill, "Partners in Tourism", Hotel & Motel Management, May 23, 1994 p. 16

Knepler, Mike, "Norfolk Hits the Big Leagues of Tourism", The Virginian-Pilot, June 30, 1994

Mill, Robert Christie and Alastair M. Morrison, The Tourism System: An Introductory Text. pp.201-203

Miller, Aneeta, "How Cities Beat the Rap", Newsweek, January 25, 1988

Morehouse III, Ward, "Broadway Loses Millions to Upstart Toronto", Reuters North American Wire, October 19,1993

Morris, Jerry, "Hidden - and Not-So-Hidden-Treasures in our National Parks", Boston Globe, March 31,1991

-14 -

Post, Theresa, "Summer in the City Program Promotes Big Apple Attractions", Travel Weekly, May 23, 1994

Satagaj, Suzanne, "San Antonio", Advertising Age, February 17,1992, p. 38

Schewe, Charles D. "Strategically Positioning Your Way into the Aging Marketplace" Business Horizons (May, 1991) p. 59

Taylor, Gordon D., "The United States Pleasure Travel Market", Journal of Business Research, Januray 1989, pp. 1-79

Warrock, Anna M. "New England Toots Its Own Horn to Draw International Tourists", New England Business, October 5, 1987, p. 42A3

Wendling, Patrice, "Tourism Officials Fret Over Milwaukee's Image", The Capital Timer, February 8, 1994

Woodside, Arch G., and Lysonski, Steven, "A General Model of Traveler Destination Choice", Journal ofTravel Research, Spring 1989, pp. 8-14

I. MISCELLANEOUS

Center City District Press kit Str'eetscape Design: Investing in a Walkable City, Smart Tips, Press clippings, newsletter, etc.

Hero Worship, article re Lawrence Levy and the Dive Restaurant

Historic Philadelphia Banner Program

Historic Philadelphia Press Kit, News releases and articles

Newspaper Article - Re: Dive Restaurant and Mayor Rendell Sunday, July 31, 1994

Penn's Landing Press Kit

Penn's Landing Corporation Controlled Properties

Penn's Landing Corporation Press Kit

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Press kit including 1993 Yearbook, Program for Flower Show 1994, Philadelphia Green Press materials

Philadelphia Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, 1992

Philadelphia CVB Communications Department Mailing Lists including category and count

Philadelphia Inquirer article on R.C. Staab, "The Ambassador from Philadelphia" February 17, 1 992

Philadelphia International Airport Press Kit.

Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority Kit: Floor plans, meeting rooms, parking facilities, art

PIDC memo, 1993 Activities, February, 1994

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PITT - Memo Re: U,K, Public Relations contract 12/7/94

The Greater Philadelphia Story, published by Greater Philadelphia First Economic Development Coalition, 70 pages

Greater Philadelphia Economic Development Coalition, 1993 Annual Report

Reprints of magazine articles

Report of Progress for 1993

PhilaPride

"Zoo One" - Spring/Summer 1994 Newsletter

•

•

•

'l'HI\IT)

APPEND/XC

Vacation Travel To Philadelphia (a qualitative analysis of

travel agents' perceptions)

Prepared for: Madigan Pratt Associates Prepared By: Trinity Communications, Inc.

February 24, 1995

,PI!) Ill\~ 1<1!l1I :-11 f!'!'I, [l('"illlL, \1:\ O:llll)

Id~·,-I·~:ld>O:j.I J;II~ 1117 ,j7g·11HI

•

BackgrQund/Object!.llH

Parter International, Inc, has been retained by the Pew Charitable Trust to provide an analysis of the City of Philadelphia as a vacation destination, As part of the process, the firm will be providing recommendations on how the city can be positioned in the marketplace,

A review of existing city research on its visitors, and the reasons why individuals have vacationed in Philadelphia in the past revealed very little information that could be used for the development of a marketing positioning, Consequently, it was decided to conduct primary qualitative research among travel agents to learn more about how the city is perceived, its awareness as a vacation destination, and perceptions of its advantages and disadvantages as a vacation destination,

Trinity Communications was retained to conduct one·on-one, in·depth telephone interviews among travel agents to gain additional knowledge that could help in the positioning assignment (In addition to interviewing travel agents, a separate proprietary study of past Philadelphia vacationers was conducted and summarized in a separate written report,)

The specific objectives for the travel agent research study was to help:

• Understand the profile of tourists likely to travel to U,S, cities,

• Determine agents' awareness and perceptions of tourist options available in Philadelphia

• Evaluate travel agents' perceptions of the strengths and limitations of Philadelphia as a tourist destination

• Assess agents' likelihood of recommending Philadelphia as a vacation destination

2

To achieve these objectives, 15·minute, in-depth telephone interviews were conducted with travel agents randomly selected from some of the regions in the Northeastern U,S, considered rnost likely to send travelers to Philadelphia,

• 12 interviews were conducted February 3 and February 6,

• Respondents represented travel agencies from the following six states: - Maryland (Baltimore, Annapolis) - Pennsylvania (Johnstown) - New York (Binghamton) - Virginia (Alexandria) - New Jersey (Morristown, Paterson) - Massachusetts (Boston, Cambridge)

Please note: For purposes of this study, "vacation travel" was defined as individual tourist travel, including weekend visits and weekend "getaways", It does not include chartered group or bus trips to cities,

This research was designed to explore hypotheses and provide insight and direction, Due to its qualitative design and its limited sample size, findings may not be projectable to the entire target audience. A copy of the interview guideline is attached,

3

Summary

Based on this feedback, it appears that Philadelphia faces serious awareness, identity, and image issues among travel agents that will need to be addressed if Philadelphia is to become a more popular vacation destination. Although the majority of travel agents interviewed stated that U.S. cities represented a moderate to large proportion of their vacation bookings, very few considered Philadelphia as a vacation destination; none received frequent inquiries about Philadelphia from their clients; and only two said they would be likely to recommend Philadelphia as a vacation destination to their clients. Very few agents had any knowledge about what Philadelphia oHered (other than history) that would appeal to tourists. In fact, although nearly all agents claimed that Philadelphia was a very historical city, only a few could name more than one of its numerous tourist attractions - historical or other - and very few could recall anything other than the Liberty Bell. This feedback indicates that a lack of information is a leading factor in Philadelphia's poor or nonexistent identity among those travel agents surveyed.

When asked to describe Philadelphia, agents' responses were generally brief, impartial, or somewhat negative, even among those who had traveled there -further indicating the need to enhance the city's image and identity. Numerous respondents described a city which, although historical, was somewhat dull or lacking in many of the types of attractions they considered important to tourists, such as cultural activities, good weather, interesting night life, entertainment, safety, cleanliness, and a lively and friendly atmosphere.

Some agents felt that other cities with more appealing climates or personalities had the same or better historical or cultural attractions as Philadelphia, and they were therefore more likely to recommend these other cities to their clients (e.g., DC, Boston). When asked what one thing the city should do if it wished to improve its tourism trade, more than half mentioned the need for accelerated promotion to educate both travelers and agents about the history, culture, night life, and special events that Philadelphia has to oHer.

4

5

• Vacation travel to U.S. cities was a popular choice among respondents' clients: Three-quarters claimed that 30% or more of their tourist business centered on U.S. city destinations; and a few claimed that as much as 60% -80% of their tourist business was to U.S. cities.

• Although agents claimed there is no one criterion for which tourists tend to choose a city, the most frequently noted included nice climate (warmth), culture (e.g., theater, museums, historical sites), shopping, dining, night life, mobility, good hotels, good value, ease of access (i.e., for quick "getaways"), and variety.

• When asked to name the most popular city destinations, nearly all felt Orlando was most popular, followed by other cities in Florida, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Las Vegas.

Profile 91.. City Vacationers

• Overall, many agents felt that people who go to cities are the type who want to do more than "lie on the beach".

• Additionally, nearly all agents felt that the "type" of person visiting a city varies and depends on their specific goal and destination. For example:

- People with children tend to go to places with children's recreational and educational activities (Orlando being the most obvious example).

- People seeking culture may go to New York, with or without children.

-Those seeking a combination of scenery, culture, and nice weather may travel to the West Coast or Florida.

- Not surprisingly, Las Vegas was considered popular with singles and couples, and less popular with families.

• Some agents felt cities were popular with families who wanted to "educate" their children.

• A few claimed that weekend "getaways" to U.S. cities appealed to middle­rather than upper-income families, since they were generally less costly than longer or more exotic vacations (e.g., Caribbean).

6

Qombining Busine$~" with Vacation

• Respondents claimed that clients seldom combined business trips with vacations, primarily because most business travelers are anxious to get home, Travelers who do vacation after completing business tend to be those traveling with their spouse andlor those visiting a city with a warm climate (e,g" California or Florida) or a very interesting environment.

"Corporate guys are on the road all the time, I don't think they'd want to take the extra time, If they did, they'd bring their wife and stay in an interesting place, like Toronto or something,"

Agent!'.!' Awareness and PerceptiomL,Qf Philadelphia

• When asked to name the tourist attractions and activities in Philadelphia, the vast majority of respondents were unable to recall anything other than the Liberty Bell. In fact, a few could not even recall that.

• The few tourist sites which were mentioned (usually by one respondent each) included: Franklin Art Institute, Bookbinder's Restaurant, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Society Hill, Elfreth's Alley,

• Even among the few respondents who replied that Philadelphia offered a variety of things to do and see to tourists, there appeared to be an image problem, or, at minimum, a lack of any clear cut, positive identity, For example:

"There isn't a whole lot of appeal to Philadelphia. What would I recommend them doing? There's just nothing '" I've only been there once when I was a little girl of ten. Other than ten minutes of sightseeing, there really isn't a whole lot to do in , There's nothing there. I'm sure my clients would say, 'Why are you recommending Philly?', and I couldn't say. I'd feel a lot more comfortable recommending Pittsburgh, I know their restaurants, etcetera. That's a nice place to visit, especially for a weekend trip."

"Off the top of my head, nothing comes to mind."

"I haven't been there (Philadelphia), so I don't know a lot of what it has to offer. If I were to recommend something like that, I'd recommend New York or DC or Chicago over Philadelphia. I think they have more to offer, maybe partly because I've never been there. All those cities have better museums, same history. Probably better night life or the city is prettier."

7

Recommending Philadelphia to Vacation Travelers

• When asked to describe Philadelphia's personality, the vague, limited feedback received further confirmed most respondents' lack of familiarity with the city and their lack of awareness of its offerings.

• Only two of the twelve interviewed agents said that they were very or somewhat likely to recommend Philadelphia as a vacation destination to their clients.

• A few agents felt Philadelphia was a city they'd recommend to people en route to another destination, or as a place to visit for a day trip.

"I'd recommend Ph illy to someone who was going to Atlantic City. It's nice to have a few different options."

The positive mentions about Philadelphia included:

"There's something for everyone. It has 'undiscovered territory', which I think makes it a very overlooked area."

"It's diverse and friendly, laid back, polite, fanatical about sports."

"It has history, nice restaurants, and nice hotels."

And the negatives included:

"It doesn't appeal to everyone. People would look at me funny if I were to suggest Philadelphia. They wouldn't expect me to say 'Philadelphia'."

"It's just not what people are looking for - they want warmer weather for the beaches, or attractions - Philadelphia has attractions, But I think most people associate it with history, and I don't think historic destinations are usually a primary - maybe a secondary but not a primary - reason for vacations."

"Philadelphia just isn't a big tourist spot."

"Why send them to Philadelphia, when I could send them to DC or Baltimore?"

"It's not metropolitan enough,"

8

• When asked to describe the personalities of Boston and Baltimore, agents' comments on these two cities tended to be more specific and more enthusiastic than their feedback on Philadelphia, particularly when describing Boston. Even those who had never been to either Philadelphia or Boston tended to be far more enthusiastic about Boston.

Agents describing Boston:

"Multiple personalities, a melting pot, so many cultures - the North End, like Little Italy. Diverse, from opera to ballet to jazz to New Wave. Eating wise, it's great. The museums, great theater, lots of cultural events, Ilome shows, exhibits, so much going on. I'm sure that Philly does, too, but I'm not aware of it."

"Never been there, but I think it would have a lot more appeal (tllan Pililadelphia), because it has a lot more attractions. I am sure there are a lot of museums having to do with witchcraft. Nothing I can think of that stands out, but it sounds more appealing."

Agents describing Baltimore:

"Some go for a baseball game. The harbor and aquarium are interesting. The Clipper Ship, Man of War is interesting, and that's where the national anthem was penned at Fort Henry,"

"There's no awareness of Philadelphia. Why send them to Philadelphia, when Baltimore has the same things, better things?"

.eromotional Effg.Lt~ .

• When asked what one thing they would recommend to increase tourism in Philadelphia, the need for increased promotional efforts was cited by more than half of the respondents.

"Promote what it has to offer. You constantly see promotions for Florida, New York, different areas throughout the states. Produce a promotion showing positive and exciting and fun things and places to do there, especially things for families, and show that it's only a one and a half hour flight away. I know there are things there, but if there are any promotions about it, I don't recall seeing any,"

"Advertise attractions in the area to agencies and to the general public, to make them aware of what they do offer, because I'm sure they offer more than I'm aware of. I get things about other cities."

"I've never been there ... from what I know of it, I don't want to say it's a well·kept secret, but because of the lack of promotion on it, I don't think it

9

gets the credit it should. It's diverse and friendly, laid back, polite. fanatical about sports."

"To recommend something, I have to have read about it; and I haven't read anything about Philadelphia. They send me videotapes about other cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles. Some of them I request, some send brochures of what videos are offered. But I've never seen anything about Philadelphia."

"I don't think people know what, if anything, Philadelphia has to offer. No news media covers it - no promotion on TV; people don't think of Philadelphia. People don't think of cities, generally, when planning a vacation. It it's not shown to you, it's not even a consideration."

"Do more advertising. The city has history, it's pretty. Let people know that it is a fun city."

"When someone comes to the office, I receive brochures, and some people don't know where they're going. If I don't have brochures from Philly, I can't show them Philly. It's not well advertised. I have no written material on Philadelphia. It's hard to sell if it's not advertised."

Miscellaneous S!!9.9!!lillim

"Create a festival that would draw people in at slow times, such as Mardi Gras in New Orleans. They really need to promote the city more, because most people don't know much about it."

Attachment

1 0

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2/03/95

THI\IT)

Philadelphia Tourism Research: Travel Agents (telephone interview guideline)

Hello, this is ".~_ calling from Trinity Communications, an independent marketing communications firm in BoslOn, On behalf of a non·profit organization, we're conducting a brief survey about vacation travel to major U.S. cities, This is not a sales call. Your name and your ag"ncy's name will be held in confidence, May I speak to an ~\gent in your agency who would be famili;lf with this issue? (Arrangejorappoilltmenl lime If needed. )

Name Agency _., Locarioll ___ .

1, In the past two years, roughly what percentage of your agency's inquiries and bookings are for vacation travel to U.S. cities? I'm referring 10 individual tourists or vocation travelers to U.S. citjes only - not chartered group or bus tour travelers. This includes weekend vacationers, too. Would you say individual vacation travelers to U.S. cities are ...

._ less than 5% of your total inquirieslbookings

_ between 6% and 10%

_ between I I % and 20%

_ over 20% (Record percentage.) _~._._._

2a. Thinking of U.S. cities that in your experience are popular with tourists. which ones are the most popular? Again, this is excluding tourists participating in chartered group or bus tours. (Do nol read list. Check all that apply ami explain .wiD: be/ow.)

_ Atlanta __ . Austin

Baltimore _ Boston

Charleston _. Charlotte _Chicago _.Dallas _ Fort Lauderdale

Fort.h Worth

_ Los Angeles _Miami _ New Orleans

New York Orlando = Philadelprua

_ San Antonio _ San Diego _ .. _ San Francisco

Santa Fe Seattle

1

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_ Tampa __ Washington, DC ..... _ Williamsburg

Phoenix . __ SL Louis _ Nashville _ Fort. Myers _ Sarasota

2b. Why do you think these arc the IllOSt popular cities') (Please probe/i)!' details.)

3. Based on your experience, what type of tourist do you think likes to visit a U.S. city 011 their vacation, as opposed to vi~iting a ~mall town or a resort area') How would you describe that person') (Ph'ase probej(Jr details reiiw"ding ag(', income, position, married, siniiie, geographic origin, other delllogrllplzidpsychograp/tic in/im/iatioll.)

4. Thinking ahout clients who ask about or book personal vacations to U.S. cities. what do you think are their priorities? What are they looking fo() (Do /lot read list. Check all that apply.)

cultural actj vitit's art museums

theatre historical ~ diversity

_ music/symphony __ shopping ~ food/dining

__ special events

~ night life

ilctivit.ies for children

~ visiting friends/relatives

~ great hotels

outdoor activities

~ other (Please be specific.)

.. _ stimulation of peopk

__ sports

~ learning/education

_"_ people/crowds

._"" proximity to other vacation activities or areas

~ mobility

5. In this interview, [need to focus on just one city. Let's see ... (pause) ... I need to ask you about ... Philadelphia.

6a. How frequently would you say that you or others in your agency receive inquiries about or book travelers 00 vacations to Philadelphia? Again, this is excluding group or bus tours. Would you say you receive inquiries or book travelers on vacations to Philadelphia ...

~ Very frequently

~ Not very frequently

__ Somewhat frequent

._ Not at all frequently 2

__ Not very frequently ~ Not at all frequently

6 b. Why did you say (illserl respollse 10 Q,5,),! What do you think the reasons is'1 (Plea,\"!' probe for delaiis,)

7. How likely would you be to recommend Philadelphia as a vacmion city to your clients? Would you SilY you'd be ...

__ ._ Very likely . __ Somewhat. likely ____ Not very likely __ Not at all likely

8. Why did you say (illsert response 10 Q, 7)'1 (Probe j(!I' Iheil' perceptiolls/cliellfs' perceptiolls olPhiiadelphia,)

9a. If Philadelphia were a person, how would you describe its personality? (Probe lor delail,I".)

9b. How w()uld you describe Boston's? (Probe for derails,

9c. How would you describe Baltimore's? (Probe.f()r dellliis.)

10. In your experience, how frequently do travelers who go to it city un business combine business with vacation. that is, stay in the cit.y for a kw days ur Jllore of vacation after wrnpJcting their business? Would you say this happens '" ? (Probe for reasons why,)

""_ Very frequently _'" Somewhat frequently 3

___ Not very frequently ._ Not at all frequently

1.1 a. In your experience, how frequentlY do travelers who go to Philadelphia all

business comhine business with a vacation, that is, stay in Philadelphia 011 vacation for i1

few days or more after completing their business'! Would you say this happens , .. '!

__ Very frequently ~ Somewhat frequently

__ Not very frequently _ Not at all frequently

lIb. Why did you say (response to Q, I Ill,)'!

12. What types of vacation activities do people who go to Philadelphia and combine business with vacar.iol1 generally pursue? (Probe regarding illlereSIS, whether they tmvel wirhjiunily, a/on/!, demo!;rapilics.)

1 3. Ple;lSe tell me the names of all the things to do and places to go to and see that you think might be attractive to tourists when visiting Philadelphia. Please be as specific as possible. (Do /lor read list. Check 11/1 Ihm app/y.)

~ Liberty Bell "~ Philadelphia Symphony

~ Valley Forge ~ At.lantic City ILoogwood Gardens

The Welcome ._" holiday celebrati(lns America Festival

The Constitution '~ Riverboat gambling Center

"."._ History Bookbinders Restaurant

~ Society Hill ~ Independence Square

4

Phil. Museum 01' Art

~ Betsy Ross's house

~ The flower show

Wannamaker's

_ Professional sports

_ Independence Nmional Historic Park

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'l'HI\IT)

APPENDIXD

Vacation Travel To Philadelphia (a qualitative analysis of

visitors' perceptions)

Prepared for: Madigan Pratt Associates Prepared By: Trinity Communications, Inc.

March 24, 1995

•

Backgroum;UObjectives

Parter International, Inc. has been retained by the Pew Charitable Trust to provide an analysis of the City of Philadelphia as a vacation destination. As part of the process, the firm will be providing recommendations on how the city can be positioned in the marketplace.

A review of existing city research on its visitors and the reasons why individuals have vacationed in Philadelphia in the past provided little information that could help develop a marketing positioning. To learn more about awareness and perceptions of the city as a vacation destination, and about attitudes regarding its perceived strengths and limitations as a vacation destination, Trinity Communications was retained to conduct one-on-one, in-depth telephone interviews with travel agents in February 1995. This research, although qualitative and thus not projectable, indicated that Philadelphia suffers from serious awareness and image problems among this target audience.

To provide additional knowledge that could help position Philadelphia to key audiences, Trinity Communications was then asked to conduct additional interviews with travelers who had recently vacationed in Philadelphia.

The specific objectives for this vacation traveler study were to help:

• Explore hypotheses developed from the research conducted with travel agents

• Gain further insight regarding travelers' motivations for vacationing in Philadelphia

• Determine travelers' awareness, perceptions, and usage of tourist options available in Philadelphia

• Evaluate travelers' perceptions of the strengths and limitations of Philadelphia as a tourist destination

• Assess their likelihood of recommending Philadelphia as a vacation destination

• Obtain suggestions for Increasing tourism to Philadelphia.

2

M..ethodology

To achieve tllese objectives, 15·minute, in·depth telephone interview:;; were conducted with randomly selected consumers who claimed to have vacationed in Philadelphia within the past two years.

• 16 interviews were conducted in late February and early March 1995.

• Respondents were from the following eight states: • New York • Rhode Island • New Jersey • California • Pennsylvania • Massachusetts • Maryland • Georgia

Please note: For purposes of this study, "vacation travel" was defined as individual tourist travel, including weekend visits and weekend "getaways".

This research was designed to explore and refine hypotheses and to help provide some insight and direction. Due to the qualitative nature of its design and its very small sample size, the findings are not projectable - therefore, the limited feedback obtained in this research should not be assumed to be representative of the entire target audience. Copies of the interview guideline as well as the research consultant's biography are attached.

3

Summary of Findings

Most travelers to Philadelphia claimed to have enjoyed their vacation thoroughly. When asked to describe Philadelphia, respondents were generally positive: most commended the city for its historical significance; some noted its friendliness, quaintness, and reasonable cost, and a few noted that it was not fully appreciated for its offerings. Although nearly all were impressed with the wealth of historical attractions offered by the city, many had not taken advantage of a number of the city's offerings (e.g., museums, restaurants, shops).

Two-thirds of respondents said they were very likely or somewhat likely to vacation in Philadelphia again, primarily because they felt there were many other things there to see and do. However, a number of them had vacationed there only because other circumstances led them to travel there (e.g., business trip, wedding). However, more than half claimed they would not have vacationed in Philadelphia at all if not for the fact that they were going there to accomplish something else - primarily business or social visits to relatives and friends. Importantly, many visitors - even the most enthUSiastic - perceived Philadelphia as a city which, although quaint and charming in its historical sections, was generally dilapidated, and suffered from a high crime rate, heavy traffic, and congestion.

In conjunction with their concern about crime, a few respondents also expressed anxiety that, unlike cities like Boston and New York, Philadelphia's streets appear relatively abandoned in the evening. Numerous visitors also felt that the city should provide better directions for both drivers and pedestrians, again due to their overall anxiety regarding getting around the city in safety. Although a few applauded the mayor's efforts to rehabilitate the city, an equal number claimed that the city was in a state of continued decline and had a long way to go in terms of rehabilitation.

When asked what the city should do to increase tourism, the most frequently cited answers focused on the need to reduce crime, provide better directions for pedestrians and drivers, decrease traffic congestion and confusion, and increase promotion about what Philadelphia has to offer.

This research indicates that Philadelphia vacationers enjoyed a positive experience overall. However, it also supports the hypotheses, established after conducting travel agent interviews, that Philadelphia has serious issues to resolve if it is to become a more popular tourist destination.

4

Key Findings

5

Profile of Philadelphia Vacationers

Vacation destinations

• On average, respondents had vacationed in 5 U.S. destinations in the past two years, with the range being from 2 to 12 vacations.

• Most respondents had vacationed in only a few U.S. cities in the past two years.

• The most popular city destination, not surprisingly, was Orlando.

• Other popular choices tended to be historic, including Washington, DC, Boston, and Baltimore.

• Other cities receiving mention included San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Santa Fe.

Traveling Companjonli

• Nearly two-thirds of the respondents traveled with their children.

• Nearly one-third were accompanied by their spouse.

• One respondent traveled alone to visit a friend, and one was accompanied by a friend.

Choice of Transportation

• About two-thirds of the Philadelphia travelers went by car.

• Of the remainder, 3 flew, and 3 took the train.

Length of Visit

• All respondents vacationed there for only a few days, usually a weekend.

Why Philadelphia?

When asked why they had vacationed in Philadelphia, the responses varied. However, less than half (six) claimed to have gone there strictly for a vacation; the remainder combined a brief vacation with other activities.

• One-third vacationed in the city to take advantage of its historical sights.

6

• One-third combined sightseeing with visits or special events involving family members or friends.

• Three respondents combined vacation with a business trip.

• Two went strictly for a weekend getaway.

• One respondent won a discounted hotel package deal for a weekend at a Philadelphia hotel, and claimed that he would not otherwise have gone tllere.

Wh.iI.LIourists Po In Philadelphia

When asked what they had done in Philadelphia, the majority of respondents were able to recall, on average, only four events or places, perhaps due to lack of time or perhaps indicating that, even among those who have chosen to visit the city, awareness of what it has to offer is relatively low.

• The most frequently noted attractions were the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Betsy Ross's house, Penn's Landing, carriage rides through the city, and shopping.

• Only a few people mentioned touring Philadelphia's museums, with the Science Museum receiving the most frequent mention.

Trilvelers' Perceptions of Their Philadelphia Vacation Experience

All respondents clearly enjoyed their visit to Philadelphia, describing their overall vacation experience in very positive terms. Many were impressed by the wealth of historical offerings and the numerous other activities, including museums, dining, and shopping. A few respondents commented on the friendliness of the city and its compact layout, which they felt made it easy to navigate.

The positive mentions about Philadelphia focused on ..

... its history _ ..

"Great, beautiful, very different from down South. Lots of history - we have history in Atlanta, but up there, you have cobblestone streets and houses that are hundreds of years old. It all began there."

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"Steeped in history, above and beyond .. , it was just the grandeur of it -Society Hill and how they have improved it over the years. There's been a tremendous improvement in Society Hill and the Landing in the past 10-12 years. All of the lights, the guided tours: they are very extensive and very informative,"

"Wonderful - the city and its quaintness allow you to relax and enjoy history in a very sedate and relaxed setting."

"Outstanding in its history, and everyone is marvelous to you."

"When you think of Ph illy, Baltimore, and DC, they played a significant role in the history of this country, and there are always new things to see and to do in all of them."

"I enjoy it. It's a city you can do a lot of walking in. In the old historic area, you feel pretty comfortable walking, enjoying the historic sense of the city. I like the shopping, too."

.. and its pace, variety, and people ...

"it's exciting, because something is always happening,"

"Very enjoyable, I liked the ethnicity of the city, We found the people very helpful; the city was very compact. We drove and also took the subway and the bus. It was easy to do little driving, and lots of walking."

"It was excellent; just excellent. It's a nice city. We were there Fourth of July weekend. Everything's more compact, where in Boston you are traveling all over these crazy streets, It's more user friendly. Everything is compacted into one area."

However, numerous respondents also expressed some concerns about the city. These appeared to be primarily focused on crime - including anxiety about getting lost and ending up in a bad neighborhood; and a diSlike of the heavy traffic, confusing road signage, and lack of clear directions for tourists. Much of the concern about signage and directions appeared to be generated by a fear of ending up in a "bad section" of the city,

... crime, and fear of ending up in a bad neighborhood _ ..

"Scary, My car got broken into in a parking garage near the hotel. There are lots of people there just waiting for tourists to take advantage of -the street corner people. Besides New York, it's the worst. I don't mean homeless people, I rnean people waiting to take advantage of tourists ... like, I'll give you directions, if you give me five bucks."

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"There are certain areas you just can't go into in Philadelphia, and I'm not sure where those areas are ". People at the hotel told us, 'You'll kind of know when you get to that area'. I'd rather know before hand."

"There was a risk factor - you could go from a historical neighborhood into a high crime neighborhood, easily."

"There are some areas which are kind of run down, and you have to travel around them very quickly. You have to be careful ... local people had some differing opinions about where we could and couldn't walk, so there was some anxiety there."

"Went out to breakfast Sunday morning and were approached by I don't know how many beggars ... pretty rough area, when you walk toward Center City. A little frightening - nobody's out; I guess that can happen anywhere."

"I felt unsafe in Philadelphia - I didn't even believe my car was in the garage - I figured the valets were driving it around half the time."

"I didn't feel safe there at night - no one is out. It's not like New York City or Boston."

commenting on recommending Philadelphia to friends ...

"I'd want to teli them what to do and where not to go. I'd say not to go by themselves after a certain time, no matter where they are. I'd say not to look like a tourist, no matter what time it is. There is a lot of crime in parts of North Philly, and even Center City has changed dramatically."

"It really has kind of a bad reputation as a city. I mention to people I enjoy Philadelphia, and they say, 'You do? I get a lot of negative replies back. People think it has a lot of crime; a city that's kind of in decline. don't see it, but I think that's the image it has."

.. a sense of dilapidation and deterioration ...

"It's a deteriorating situation - doesn't appear to be a viable city any more. Has some worthwhile things to see, and I don't mind visiting because of family and friends. But it's not an area I'd pick to spend a lot of time in.'

"I'd have to say I liked the street people least. When you're walking along, spending all that money and gOing to ali these lovely places and then you see all the street people - it kind of put a damper on things."

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"There are a lot of really interesting things there: zoos, museums, Boat House Row, historical things. But most of my friends would prefer going to other places. Because, although there are some really neat places there, it's basically a very dumpy town."

"They are rebuilding areas, but it's mostly cosmetic. Once you get outside pockets of civilization, you get into dilapidated areas. I applaud their renovation eHorts, but I'm afraid they are never going to catch up. It takes too much money."

Philadelphia's Personality

When asked how they would describe Philadelphia if it were a person, the majority of responses were positive and varied. Positive perceptions focused on the city's history, diversity, friendliness, and spirit of renovation; the negatives tended to center on perceptions of a city with a lot of crime, dilapidation, and the lack of an exciting identity.

the positives .. ,

"Quaint, like Ben Franklin. A quaint little historical town."

"Very busy, active, interesting."

"Exciting, lots to do there."

"A very old city trying to be younger. It's trying to rejuvenate itself. I see lots of work being done to restore areas, make downtown areas more attractive. Wednesday night, the shops stay open longer, to make people stay downtown."

" Friendly, warm."

"A good friend."

"Schizophrenic, very diversified, mUltiple personality."

"Faded, old-line, and rich."

and the negatives ...

"Exciting but not trustworthy. The crime ... it could be a fun person, but you've got to keep your eyes open."

"Old and decrepit." 1 0

"Unpredictable - there are certain places you just don't go."

"What was the name of that band leader who used to fill in for Doc Severensen on the Johnny Carson Show? I can't remember it either. That's what I mean. He was just sort of there. Philadelphia is there, but it's sort of dull ... doesn't have the vibrancy of a New York or a Chicago or a San Francisco. It's suffered from a lack of image for many, many years; but it's not a bad place. If you know the city and its people and clubs, there are some great spots. You know what W.C. Fields had on his tombstone? 'All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia?' It's just kind of dull. Chicago is great; so is San Francisco, New Orleans. But Philadelphia?"

Would IJley Go Back?

When asked how likely they'd be to go back to Philadelphia on another vacation, the feedback reinforced the finding that, overall, their visit to Philadelphia had been a very positive vacation experience for most travelers .

• More than two-thirds said they would be Very Likely or Somewhat Likely to retum there on vacation, with most claiming that it was due to the many other things to do and see that they had not yet experienced.

"Sure, I'd go back there. Great museums - undersold. Wonderful restaurants - also undersold."

"Mayor Rendell is doing an excellent job in reducing prices on shopping, restaurants, even the buses, to bring people in."

"I'd go there again, even if I wasn't going there on business. I'd go back, and I'd take my family back, because there are a lot of things I'd like to see, like the Franklin Museum and other museums, and the area southwest of the city where some of the older estates are."

"There are unlimited things to do there: anybody can find something to do there."

• One-third claimed they would be Very Unlikely or Somewhat Unlikely to vacation there again, for one or more of the following reasons: a desire to explore new cities; a preference for rural vacations; and a perception that Philadelphia did not offer enough to merit a repeat vacation visit.

"I like to go to different places. New Orleans and San Diego are high on my list this year. Also, Houston."

"It's a place to come from, not a place to go to." 1 1

Would They Recommend Philadelphia To Friends?

The feedback to this question further supports the fact that most Philadelphia vacationers enjoyed a positive experience, overall.

• Nearly all respondents said they were Very Likely or Somewhat Likely to recommend Philadelphia to friends or relatives, primarily due to the many activities, particularly historical, that Philadelphia offers,

"We recommend it all the time - there's a lot to do. Lots of good hotels, restaurants, and it's close to New York, so you can even do it in a day."

"We tell them it's a great family vacation, with all the historic sites. It's a must to take children to."

• Only two respondents said they were not likely to recommend Philadelphia to friends, One claimed that this was due to crime; the other, to a perception that the city was dirty,

Suggestions for Improvement

When asked what one suggestion they would make to increase tourism in Philadelphia, answers varied. However, nearly one-third of the respondents mentioned traffic-related issues - the need to improve confusing traffic or travel pattems, reduce congestion, or the need to provide better directions on highways, city thoroughfares, or subways,

After the traffic issue, respondents were most likely to suggest better promotion of the city (3 mentions), efforts to reduce crime, lower transportation fares, and playing up the historical significance of the city (2 mentions each),

improve traffic, directions, and crime ...

"Their traffic infrastructure isn't realistic; they have limited space, and so many highways going in and out. Some areas are kept up pretty well; but I wouldn't want to get sidetracked on a Side street in Philly, because they are dangerous; I think Philly has a very high crime rate, They should do something about the crime."

"They need to make the subway easier to identify ... we had some trouble locating the stations, We had to stop and ask several people, and they weren't too clear,"

"The traffic is too congested and confusing."

1 2

"Better directions through the town for tourists - more signs. When they have a detour, put signs up through the detour. If you're on the expressway, the sign says, "Society Hill", then you get to the exit for it and there's a detour, with no directions to Society Hill. They need signs that get you back where you're going, because Philadelphia is definitely a town you don't want to get lost in."

promote it more ...

"Start advertising, start promoting. I don't know if they do any kind of travel promotion or enhancements. If they do any, I'm not aware of them. And my wife and I read the travel magazines all the time."

highlight its historical significance ...

"I'd play up the historical aspects of it, its proximity to DC, Baltimore and New York; the shore. It has a lot going for it. I don't think people are aware of it. I think they think of DC first and Boston second, and they don't think of Philly as often. Since it's so close, it certainly has as much or more to offer than Boston. Their restaurants are reasonable, it's not an expensive city. Families of all backgrounds can generally afford to visit it. A lot of things are free - those are the things I would play up."

"Play up the historical significance of the city more. Play upon the old charm of the city, that's the part I find so enjoyable. There was a lovely old saloon that George Washington and a number of colonials went to, and it just reopened."

miscellaneous suggestions

"Lower the Amtrak fare to make it more affordable."

"Lower tour bus fares and make them more accessible. Promote the ferry that goes across to Camden more."

"Have more places in the historic district for eating. We couldn't find any restaurants that would be good for a family.'

Attachment

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•

•

2124195 THI\II\

Philadelphia Tourism Research: Consumers (telephone interview guideline)

Hello. may I please speak with (Ilame Oil lisl)? This is ... .. _ fr'om Trinity Communications, an independenl communications firm in Bo\ton. On behalf of a f1on" pront organizalion. we're conducting a brief, confidential survey about vacation travel to U.S. cities. This is not a sales call. Could you please take a few minutes to answer some questions? (Arrange for callback/appoilltment time ifneeded.)

Name ______ _ HOlel. Cm/Slate __ _

1. In the pasl two years, how many vacations, including weekend vacations or weekend getaways, have you or your family taken?

(Record number) __ .

2. Again, thinking of your vacations in the past two years, including weekend vacations or getaways, please name all of the U.S. cities you have visited. (Do not read list. Check alltllill apply.)

Atlanta Austin

~ Baltimore _ Boston _ Charleston _ Charlotte _ Chicago _Dallas

Fort Lauderdale Forth Worth

""_ Los Angeles _Miami ~ New Orleans _New York _Orlando _ Philadelphia (Go 10 Q.4.) _ San Antonio _ San Diego

San Francisco _Santa Fe _ Seattle

_ Tampa .. ~ Washington, DC _ Williamsburg _ Phoenix __ SI. Louis _ Nashville _ Fort Myers _ Sara~ota _ Las Vegas _ Florida city (all other)

_ Other~ ______ . _______________ _

(Ask Q.3 only if they did not mention Philadelphia in Q.2. Otherwise, go 10 Q.4).} For purposes of this interview, I need to ask: you about one U.S. city. Let's see ... (pause) ... I need to ask: you about ... Philadelphia. You did not mention Philadelphia as a city you have vacationed in.

3. Would you consider a vacation in Philadelphia? This would include a weekend vacation or a weekend getaway. Why? Why not? (Note: lfrespondenr IIOW says 'hey

1

JI)I) U"II-I"II."!rl·'·I. BII.I.,n, '1' U~II(' hI7,',7:l'hU;1 F"I, 111- >~H·llio

•

have lieI'll 10 Philadelphill Oil v(leulioll, omli"u" illiervicw. Olhel>visl', record (lIISIV('/',

Ihallk, alld lerminarc)

4. For purposes of this interview, [ need to ask you about one U.S. city. Let's see. (pause) ". I need t() a~k you about ". Philadelphia. Youlllcntioncd Philadelphia as a city you have vacationed in. What made you decide to vacation in Philadelphiary (Probe IO/Ilid "ill r';OSOIl(s) /in visit.)

_ package deal _ recommended by friend/relative ... _ SpOrlS

m1iclc I read ,.,m. special event __ historical places

... __ other (Please specify.)

5. Did you use a travel agent when making your vacation plans to visit. Philaddphia'? Why? Why not'?

6. Who, if ,1Oyone, accompanied you to Philadelphia on your vacation?

__ family _ friend(s) children went alone

__ went with group other

7. How did you get there'?

drove flew took t.rain took bus

8. Please tell me what you did and saw when visiting Philadelphia. Please be as specific as possible. (Do IIOt read list. Check all that apply.)

__ Liberty Bell

_ Valley Forge

The Welcome

_ Philadelphia Symphony

_ Atlantic City ILongwood Gardens

. ___ holiday cel§brations

_ Phil. Museum of Art

_ Betsy Ross's house

The flower show

America Festival

The Constit.ution ._ Riverboat gambling Center

_ History _. Bookbinders Restaurant

_ Society Hill _._. Independence Square

__ Boat tOurs _ Bus, train or trolley tours

__ historical tour Norman Rockwell Museum

_ professional sports _. Zoo

_ Penn's Landing South Street

__ . Wannamaker's

""_. Professiomll sports

.• _Independence N<ltional Historic Park

_ walking tours

Science Museum

Franklin Institute

_ other (Please specify.)

9. If you were to describe your vacation experience to friends or relatives in one sentence, how would you describe it?

1 o. What did you like best about your visit to Philadelphia? (Do not read list. Check all that apply.)

cultural activities art museums

_ theatre historical _ diversity

_ music/symphony _ shopping _ food/dining

_ special events

.. _ night life

activities for children

_ visiting friends/relatives

_ great hotels

outdoor activities

_ other! Please specify.)

3

_ .. stimulation of people

_ sports

._._ leaming/education

_ people/crowds

_ proximity to other vacation activities or areas

_ mobility

11. What did you like least" Why'!

12. If Phil'ldeJphi" were a person, how would you de:;cribe it? (Probe jiJr derails.)

13a. How likely would you be to go to Philadelphia again on vacation') Would you say you'd be ...

__ Very likely Somewhat likely __ Not very likely _ .. _ Not at all likely

13b. Why did you say (insert unswl!r 10 f3u.)')

14 a. How likely would you be to recommend Philadelphia as a vacation destination to your friends Of relatives? Would you say you'd be ... "" _. Very likely _ Somewhat likely .. _ Not very likely Not at all likely

14b. Why did you say (inserl answer 10 14a)?

15. If you could make just one suggestion to help the city ()f Philadelphia incre,\se the Ilumber of tourists who visit it, what would that be, and why') (Proh(1 for d(llaiis.)

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APPENDIX E

DATA & RESEARCH

Data and researcil set forth herein is a review and summary of the principal research and data which exist on Philadelphia.

Coughlin, Keene

For five years, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor Bureau commissioned an annual study, Tourists in Pili/adelphia, from Coughlin, Keene & Associates. These reports were produced in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and in a reduced version in 1989. The purpose of the studies was to estimate the total number of tourists coming to Philadelphia and their economic impact. One of the shortcomings of the studies was a narrow definition of tourist to exclude business travelers. A simple intercept survey of five major attractions and six events was conducted in 1985-1988. In 1989 only the Liberty Bell and Visitor Center were surveyed.

The five attractions surveyed were:

Zoo Museum of Art Franklin Institute Visitor Center Liberty Bell

The six events were:

Army-Navy Game Flower Show Jambalaya Festival River Blues Rock-a-Rama Ph illy' Baseball Games

The assumption behind the studies was that "tourist" (limited to pleasure visitors) came to see an attraction, attend an event, or shop. The purpose of the interview was to eliminate overlap in attendance by asking what people did and to determine a total number of tourists and their spending. A very simple questionnaire was used, asking where people were from, whether they came on business or pleasure, what else they did, whether they stayed overnight and what they spent. Then the data was analyzed

to determine what visitation to the attraction or event was not local, estimate from all attendance how much visitation was "tourist", and how the visitation overlapped to eliminate double·counting,

Although there were many interviews (some 12,000 in 1987), business travelers were excluded, In 1989, about 1,700 interviews were projected into 174 pages of detailed data, matrices and analyses,

The eVB Report

The CVB regularly issues a Business and Leisure Travel Repolt, estimating the number and economic impact of convention attendees, business travelers and pleasure non­metropolitan visitors to major attractions and events. There is minimal hard data underlying the estimates, and it may be best used for PRo It is not reliable enough to provide a real assessment of tourism activity. The convention impact is based on estimated attendees, estimated length of stay and average national spending patterns provided by the International Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus. The business travelers are determined by estimating the number of business travelers at the hotels among all visitors (also estimated). The number of leisure travelers are estimated as a percent of visitation to various attractions,

The reports do provide total attendance at the various attractions, performances and events, but these numbers all represent visits not visitors. Reliance on previously established ratios, even if they are valid, will not identify a current or changing situation.

PKF Monthly Reports

The hotel consultant, PKF produces a monthly report, Trends in the Hotel Industry, for Philadelphia. It includes occupancy, room rate, and double occupancy factors for downtown, the environs and the suburban area. It could be valuable information if it were consistent. However, the data and reporting units vary from month to month. For example, in May 1994, they reported on 4,592 rooms in downtown; in June, they reported on 5,537 rooms; and in July, on 5,223 rooms. (The CVB reports that there were 6,500 rooms downtown.) The flUctuating base distorts any attempt to show total rooms nights, total occupancy, or change.

Nevertheless, the Philadelphia Business Journal did just that, using the PKF information to chart total hotel room nights over time, showing a fluctuating total room nights which reflected only reporting differences, not change in actual usage.

2

City Planning Report

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission prepared a report, dated February, 1993, Destination Philadelphia, referred to earlier in this study. The report is well done and has many useful recommendations, but with respect to basic data it presents no trend data, little hard statistical information, and bases the analysis on small, anecdotal surveys.

The report maintains that there were 24 million visitors to Philadelphia in 1991, but nowhere does the report indicate where the information comes from. Of those, 12 million were pleasure, 11.5 million on business and .5 million at meetings. Three million pleasure and 4 million business visitors were from outside. Tourists are considered to be only the 3 million pleasure visitors from outside and the convention attendees.

An extensive profile of the visitor is presented in the report. The profile references, cited in the appendix are three surveys done by the PCPC in 1991. An attractions survey interviewed 787 people at the Franklin Institute and Independence Hall. An events survey interviewed 404 people at three events. A hotel survey got 365 completed questionnaires (an 8 percent return). To this are added some national perception studies and information from the 1989 Coughlin study, and that constitutes the data base.

The report illustrates that Philadelphia in 1990 was not competitive when compared to other cities in the number of hotel rooms. There is also 1990 attendance information at Philadelphia historic and cultural attractions. There are references to travel and 110spitality employment and taxes, but no trend data.

The descriptive and design analyses in the report are quite interesting, as are many of the suggestions. The recommendations, however, are almost encyclopedic and without clear direction about how to proceed. Many of the ideas are worth considering in a total tourism strategy, but there is little direction about what is most important to do or why.

The three surveys conducted by the PC PC while limited, do provide some interesting information. In the hotel survey, they found that about 60 percent of guests were on business or going to a conference. Of all hotel guests surveyed, 44 percent went to the Liberty Bell. From the attraction survey, they found few business or convention visitors at the attractions, 68 percent attendance from outside the metro area and 22 percent staying overnight in a hotel. From the events survey, 34 percent were from outside the metro area, and 11 percent stayed overnight.

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Other Studies

The studies and data sources cited above are the only ones which provide any city­wide perspective on tourism. There are many other one-time surveys which provide snapshot information of a single event, attraction or point in time, While the information is sometimes interesting, there is little comparable from study to study, In fact, the information is sometimes conflicting. Even taken together, they provide little insight into Philadelphia tourism and no reliable or consistent guidance about how to enhance tourism. Several of these individual studies are summarized below.

Coughlin, Keene and Associates did a survey, Hotel Guests in Philadelphia, 1989. Interviews of 928 persons were done in the lobbies of six hotels in the fall of 1989. The author said it was done during the wrong time of year and should be considered a "pilot study". (It missed the summer leisure tourists.) They had no base data to expand the study to all hotel guests, so they "estimated" the total number of hotel guests. Then they projected data to a large universe of hotel guests. They found most guests (66 percent) were on business. Of the total guests, 5 percent were on group tours, 10 percent were foreign.

The Art Museum, in 1992, sponsored a series of studies from Jerry Wind at Wharton to develop support for their budget when it was being cut by the City. The purpose was to demonstrate their value to the City and economic impact. The study interviewed 924 visitors. Of the total, two-thirds were Metro residents, one-third came from outside the region, and 16 percent stayed overnight (but we don't know where - whether with friends or at a hotel or motel). A large number of the visitors were repeat (72 percent) and 5 percent were foreign,

In 1987, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society undertook a Market Study of the Annual Flower Show, to assess how the show was perceived. 80th telephone and on-site interviewing were done. From the 1,023 on-site surveys, it was determined that 40 percent of the viSitors were from outside the metro area, more than half of whom came on bus tours. Altogether, 29 percent of attendees surveyed came by bus. The show attracted a lot of return visitors (two thirds). It was not determined whether anyone stayed overnight.

A SUlvey of Visitors to Philadelphia's Independence Hall was commissioned by the Sheraton Society Hill in 1985, It surveyed 1,000 visitors who stayed in hotels. Of those visiting the attraction and spending the night in a hotel, 34 percent stayed in Philadelphia. The rest stayed in the suburbs, the region, or elsewhere. Many were going to other destinations. Only 32 percent wanted to stay in downtown Philadelphia.

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The National Park Service occasionally surveys the Independence National Historical Park. They keep detailed attendance records. However, they do not eliminate overlaps from their counts. They add up all the "visits" to each of the park buildings and total this to measure "attendance". Actually, the Liberty Bell visitation probably measures close to the total number of visitors to the park.

In 1987, a Visitor Services Project tracked people's use of the park to find out where they went. They also found out where they were from and how long they stayed in the park. Of 524 surveys, 6 percent were foreign, 12 percent were from Philadelphia, and the rest were from outside -- and widely dispersed around the U,S. (Altogether 30 percent were from the Middle Atlantic area.) The time spent varied from 1 to 5 hours, with the median being 3 hOlJrs. A 1992 study that plotted attendance confirmed that the median time spent was 3 hours.

One interesting study was a tracking study on the image of Philadelphia done by Spiro & Associates in 1987, in connection with the "We, the People 200" celebration. About 800 people were surveyed by telephone, 400 before the events (and adVertising) and 400 after. About one third of those contacted had actually visited Philadelphia. The study found there were no differences in perceptions about Philadelphia by those who had visited and those who had not -- and no differences before and after the celebration.

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APPENDIX F

PHILADELPHIA TOURISM DATA

Table A.

Source:

City of Philadelphia Hotel Room Receipts FY 1990·1994

Fiscal Year Hotel Room Receipts (in millions)

1990 $155.2

1991 153.8

1992 156,2

1993 158.5

1994 174.6

City of Philadelphia Room Tax Resources METAPLAN, Inc,

,----------- ~---------------------

Table B. City of Philadelphia Seasonality Monthly Hotel Room Receipts

Month (1993/94) Hotel Room Receipts Percent

1993: July 7,0%

August 6,9

September 6,1

October 8,7

November 9,9

December 9,8

1994: January 4,0

February 8,7

March 8,1

April 10,1

May 8,7

June 12,0

Source: City of Philadelphia Room Tax Revenues, METAPLAN, Inc.

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Table C. Independence National Historical ParI< Uberty Bell Pavilion Attendance 1984·1993

Year Liberty Bell Attendance

1984 1,350,600

1985 1,406,800

1986 1,345,200

1987 1,848,200

1988 1,481,300

1989 1,400,100

1990 1,490,300

1991 1,438,800

1992 1,489,200

1993 1,417,900 ... ""m~m"~~~

Source: NPS Independence Park, METAPLAN, Inc.

3

Table D. Employment Comparisons Philadelphia County and Pennsylvania, 1987, 1992

Employment Category Pennsylvania Philadelphia Percent County of Sales

1987

Total Employment 4,650,400 681.400 14.7%

Hotel. Lodging Places 52,800 5,800 11.1

Eating, Drinking Places 259,200 31,400 12.1

Amusement, Recreation 40,300 4,500 11.2

Museums, Zoos, Gardens 2,100 900 43.4

1992

Total Employment 4,819,100 623,800 12.9%

Hotel, Lodging Places 52,200 6,400 12.3

Eating, Drinking Places 275,600 27,500 10.0

Amusements, Recreation 50,900 4,900 9.5

Museums, Zoos, Gardens 3,500 1,500 44.0

Source: Pennsylvania Dept. Of Labor, METAPLAN, Inc. Covered wage and salary employment.

4

APPENDIXG

PHILADELPHIA TOURISM PROMOTIONS & CREATIVE

The following will serve to highlight the different tourist related programs that were run for tile City. Examples of the creative follow.

• "Philadelphia· Get To Know Us:' - Among all the individuals interviewed in tile course of this assignment, the only real advertising campaign for the City that could be recalled was "Philadelphia - Get To Know Us." This program appeared in tile mid·1980s.

According to some familiar with the program, it was not really designed as a tourism campaign, but rather to make Philadelphia feel good about itself· a self image campaign. The campaign did have a significant amount of recall among those interviewed and the overall feeling about tile program was positive. No one, however, could describe any specific messages the campaign conveyed about the City. There is no way of determining whether the campaign is recalled because it was particularly good or because it represented the only significant advertising in recent memory.

Actual marketing and media plans detailing objectives, strategies, rationales and budgets for the program were unavailable. It has been reported that much of the media as well as production costs were donated to the City, so the total out-of.-pocket costs can not be determined. Aside from a few insertions in Gourmet Magazine, it is believed that the only advertising placed outside Philadelphia appeared in New York City. We have been told tilat approximately $400,000 was spent in the New York effort "with very poor response." However, without specific objectives on what the programs was expected to generate, or actual response, it is difficult to determine the true effectiveness of the program.

Two four·color ads (attached) ran in the May 1986 issue of Gourmet Magazine along with an extensive article on the cuisine of Philadelphia. Both ads carried the "You've Got A Friend In Pennsylvania" mention at the bottom suggesting that the ads were part of a cooperative effort with the State.

• "Philadelphia Isn't As Bad As Philadelphians Say It Is" - In interviews, Philadelphians were asked if there were any campaigns for the City that they could remember, While many could remember the "Get To Know Us" effort, a surprisingly large number of people claimed to recall one that said, "Philadelphia - It's Not As Bad As You Think," No one interviewed could remember anything specific about the program, and for some time it was felt that it was perhaps an old joke that, somehow through reputation had taken on a life of its own,

Our further research uncovered that it was never an advertising campaign, but one billboard placed along a major Philadelphia artery. Rather than Saying, "Philadelphia - It's Not As Bad As You Think" it read slightly differently, "Philadelphia Isn't As Bad As Philadelphians Say It Is,"

The billboard was created by a small advertising agency and appeared perhaps twenty years ago or longer, The staying power of a single Billboard is quite remarkable - perhaps it hit a nerve or perhaps the longevity of its recall results from the vacuum created through the lack of other Philadelphia marketing efforts,

• Event Associated Promotion - Between 1990 and 1993 the Convention and Visitors Bureau began running a series of newspaper advertisements featuring Ben Franklin and inviting readers to vacation in Philadelphia (attached), While the ads did mention some of the attractions found in the City, none carried a tagline or positioning statement which summed up the essence of a Philadelphia vacation experience.

Given the fact that the event promotions were poorly funded, did not fit within an overall tourism promotion effort and there is no research on the programs, it is believed that these promotional efforts had very little impact on tourism to Philadelphia. Specific executions include:

1990 - The 1990 execution centered on Ben Franklin and mentioned the fact that "9 special weekend parties from January to September" were being celebrated. The ad carried a coupon and an 800 number to call for "free information and hotel packages." No statistics are available in the effectiveness of this program.

2

.1llill ~ In 1991, Ben invited visitors to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Bill of Rights. Again, a coupon and telephone number were used in the newspaper advertisement. The new signature for the state of Pennsylvania - "America Starts Here," was included in this ad, suggesting some sort of cooperative effort with the State.

1992 - For 1992, the program was used to invite vacationers to celebrate America's quincentenary in Philadelphia. A new element, a box with a stylized signature "Neighbors In The New World" was added to the ads. The response mechanism and State signature continued as in previous years.

In fiscal year 1992/93 The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau spent $200,000 in advertising. Nearly all of these funds were in support of the new convention center and related hotel development and consequently very little exposure of this ad was realized,

199;2 -In 1993, an ad using the "Two Rivers, One Great Vacation," headline was used. This ad contained virtually the same elements as the previous year's, but was more focused on the historical features of the City.

The 1993/94 budget called for a reduction in spending to $110,000. A minimal advertising budget was called for in the preliminary 1994/95 marketing and sales plan with the majority of funds ($85,000) allocated to "Calendar of Events. In 1993, and then again in 1994, advertisements promoting the Welcome America! celebration were run in northern New Jersey and central Pennsylvania newspapers. Just as with the Ben Franklin ads, there was no central theme or positioning line for the City of Philadelphia in the ads, They were more geared toward promoting a specific event as opposed to the City.

• Regional Promotion - 1994/95 An additional $61,000 was allocated to cooperative marketing with Lancaster and $36,000 for support of "Welcome America!"

Cooperative advertisements tilat flave run in the past five years have been reviewed and found to be more in line with the events type ads as opposed to the image ads that ran in the mid 1980s.

3

• International Promotion -Philadelphia participates in PITT· the Pennsylvania International Tourism Taskforce which is comprised of the state and several cities/regions. The PITT program consists primarily of public relations, literature fulfillment and participation in trade shows in the United Kingdom and Germany. Tt,ere is no advertising associated with the PITT program.

• Package Promotions - A significant cooperative newspaper effort which packaged six hotels along with tickets to a Rolling Stones concert or the "Picasso Still Lives" exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was run this year. The effort is significant for several reasons. First it represented one of the most significant promotional efforts on behalf of the hotels in the City. Secondly, it was the first attempt to "package" the City to make it easy for potential travelers to actually buy a vacation in Philadelphia.

The current Barnes Foundation Exhibit is an excellent example of cooperative partnership between the CVB, local hotels and American Express. Still, as the attached advertisement which appeared in the New York Times shows -promotional activities continue to support individual events and fail to provide the City with an overall image, or position the City as a desirable place to visit for anything else but a specific event.

• "We The People~ Bicentennial Celebration (1986) - The bicentennial celebration of the Constitution was a major event for the City of Philadelphia. Through a tremendous effort of hundreds of volunteers the biggest event in the City's modern history became a reality. President Reagan visited the City and major networks hosted shows like The Today Show during the event. "We The People" while being a major tourist event, was primarily conceived and executed as a Philadelphian event. Limited promotion outside of the public relations activity could be documented.

• Meeting and Conventions Promotion - In Philadelphia, the CVB has had to place additional emphasis on the meeting and convention business in recent years in an effort to sell space in the new Pennsylvania Convention Center (PCC). Promotion of the new PCC by the Philadelphia CVB has centered on direct sales supported by limited advertising and public relations, The PCC has also used a limited amount of magazine advertising to promote the facility.

4

The Convention and Visitors Bureau did use a limited amount of advertising in 1993 to announce the opening of the new Convention Center. The ad, which appeared only in meeting and convention magazines was 'feature rich" and included a signature lil1e directed to the Center, not the City. It read, Pennsylvania Convention Center -- In the center of it ,<;//!" At roughly the same time the Pennsylvania Convention Center ran a few ads in meeting business publications which featured tile new center. The ad did not contain a tag line and was not at all similar to the CVB ad.

5

its charms. And to Turnbcrry I add that par­ticular n~pose that rrlakes of every day and night a time to b(~ treasured. Scotland ,:an­nOt offer the lush warmth of the Caribbean, nor the bracing ski slopes of Europe, but it can off~~r TlIJ'nht~I'rY 1lnd a peacefulness 1 C:'lI1nOl imagine being suq.Jlt:)M~d ehicwhcn.::.

Turnbcrry Hotcl ~Ind Golf Courses Ayrshire KA26 9LT. Scotland Tel. (06553) 202

ChcfCuneron's artful blending ()fScot­tish and Ff't~nch cuisines b t1H~ hallmark of the Turnbi~rry'~ kitd1{~nt as ttH: r,:dpes that f()llow demtmstrate.

,)\'ouI.\'1I Tt.'(l p(lm.'ak(:,~· T/lrnh(~rry lIard~)

2 r.:::ups all-purpotit: flour 2!h tablespoons double-acting

baking powder '2 huge eggs 4 tablespoons suglH' 2 tablespoons vcgcl.1lblc oil n;\ to 2 cups milk mciled un~(".dtcd butter for bl'Ushillf!

the griddh: ~orH:'.ned unsalted butt!;'.)' and jam OJ'

whipped cream and ~trawbcrries as aC(:Olllpanimcnts

lnw a bo ....... 1 sift together the flt)ur and tlw bak.ing p<)wder. In another bowl beat the egg:.;, the: ~ug\U·, and thc oil until the mixturc is combincd well and :.;tir in I:~ cup~ of the milk. Add the milk mix.tuJ'c 10 the flour mixture and sliJ' t1H~ hatter until it is just :.;mooth.

Hem 11 griddle nvc!' modcraH~ heat until it i~ hot, brush it with some ofth(~ melted but .. 101', and tcst the baiter by dmpping 1 table .. ::,poon of' it iJf1to the griddle, If the batter is too thick 10 sprciH1 by itself into Ii 3-iJH..'h r(Jllnd, continue testing, adding the remain­ing m.il};. to the batttJ' a~ necessary until il docs. D!'op the ballC:!' I.')Y whlcf<>poons mHO

the griddk ;md cook the pancllkcs for 1 to '2 minutes, or until bubbles app(~1U' on the SUI"" filet:: and begin to burst. Turn the pancakes and cook them f()r 1 minute mol'(~, 01' until the underside.:) (II'(; golden brown, TI'il.w;I\~1' th~~ pancakes with a ~lott(:".d spatulillo a dish {()wel (IS I.hey lln~ (~t)oked and k(:{~p them Wiu'm, covercd loo~cly. Make pancake.s with th~~ r~~maining batter in the same man­ncr, brushing the griddle with more meltcd butler bcfon~ each batch, S(!I'W the. pan .. ~ilkcs warm with the softened butt~~1' ~md jam Ol'the whipp(~d cn~ilm ~md stl'awb(~rrks. Makes about 50 pancak.(~s.

Whisky nlk(~ TI~rnbary /"JOlt!/

I ~j'; cups golden raisin~ 5 tablespoons Sc{)tch whisky

It bubbles. Spark/e •.

Sizzles. Thrill •.

Excites. Pu/.at ....

Rock 'n' Roll. Jazz.

C/a.sico/. Swing.

Th"atro. 80/lot.

Opera. Popular.

Caf" •. Bistros. Clubs. Every night. Evory

tosto. Everywhere.

Unwind.

Relax.

Enjoy. Let

your hair down.

Paint th" town

rod. Be our

guest.

o o

o 0

o 0

0 •

o

0 0

0 co

For c frO(} Phi!adell:Jhia Vocation Pockot, call 1-800-523-2004.

o fj

0 0

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rJ~(~~~!j!!J~~ You'vo got (I frimid J" POllmylvol1io

GOUI1Mt::T I MAY 1986

15:i:!

Come make passionate love to a silliing Lobster Fro

Diovo/o, touch your lip, to Voau A/socia"" .. , linger over a lustful

mocha mousse. Ahhhhhh. Italian. French. Chinese.

Spanish. Creole. Indian. Thai. German. Evon American. If you

warship food, love to dine,

como to Philadelphia. For a free Philadelphia Vacation

Packet, call )·800·523-2004.

P·H~H:AD·E·l; PHI·A .......... 7;;.~-.. ··'················'·································i. &7 !tJ:iq/<lWurPAf.

Y(l(!'\fO got (] friand in POllnsy/vani(J

GOURMET I MAY H~6a

grecmi, pitch Hnd pUll course., bcachcs~ and tenniH. (;ourts: if that' s not enough, addition­al options include horse racing and riding, fishing, shooting, hill walking. loafing, tmqUc.l, golf instruction, . ,.ind GOLF.

,"'-'-,

,/~y.]/c:~:. . ti;nberry can be full of ac-(C. C tivity und at the same time '" a haven of peace, J have <: ... , stayed at other Scottish

hotds where one was c()nstantly subjected to loud rcc()untings oj' many a g~)lfc.r's cv" cry piIIY, At Turnbcrry golf i:-; serious, but not to the point of fanaticit->m. In July the 6,875-yurd par" 71 Ailsa course: will, inci­dontally. be t.he venue for Iho 1986 Brilish Open IlS il Was once before, in 1977.

The Ailsa links courliC, originally de­signed by Willie FCl'llk~, as was lhe Anan ("OurSc. was remade by MacKenzie Ross af .. tcr World War II inw [he: m.aslcrpicce it h;

today. The Armn lies inland within the Ally sa and is said to bt~ l(~ss demanding; it i:-: n pal' 69 and 6,276 yards. When the com.mon ground wag linked with the foreshore and golf was played over it, IIH~ cours(~ wag kn()wn as a links course and gradually carne 10 be called g<llf Iinh, Both Ihe Ailsa and the Arran hilVt~ named holes, such a~ Ca Canny~ which mt~ans "take care, '. and Lang Whang! Or "good whack." Tickl y Tap means "a subtle hole,'~ and Dinna FOUler means "don't mess about."

Long before my visit was {)"cr, my mus­ings about re,(:ommcnding ~xt~nded or rc~ peat MIIYS Wt:I't: sharpened when I heard thal Tllrllb~~rI'Y celebrates a very :-;pecial Christ­mas, by grace ()f the North Atl;mtic Drift, and so my advice now include~ late spring to late- ~llITIl11er and 0. return for Chrigtmas. Most places hav~~ something they can blame everything dose on-Londt)n has its fog, Chicago its Wind, and Scandinavia its bicycle riders-but Turnbcrry has only prai~e and l;:ommcndation for its Drift, which mel'l~.cs with the Gulf Stream as the latter moves north and cast from the Gulf of Mexico nnd is ~cparated from the castel'l1 U.S, coast by the LabradorCurrem. bring­ing Turnhcl'rY it~ glorious veget,ntion, healthful air. and balmy Christmas. (Refur­bishllleni will keep tho hOld closed for ChristnHlti, 1986, but Yl'.lU ~:Im starl looking forward now 10 Christon,,,. 1987,)

To me Scotland is an ultimate dc.stina~ tion. One can go on, ifonc mUSl, to Iceland or ptlssibly to Murnlansk; nnc can even travel from Yugoslavia to Boston via Pl'est~ wick. Bm on the whole Scotlnnd is not u ~ountry where one stops in pHssing. Noth~ ing save SC~Hlund itself should take one there. Ii is both gloriou, and Iln",mod-its golC salmon, and lamb. its gardens, and its Turnberry be,ing only a scattered handful of

\'uu'r(~ il1viH~d t~) 11](,' hil-lj.!t·q ,llid hl~~t IHHI~' I)f

thl' 11\.'\\' dl't:.HJe: In I ~)~)(), n·Jdlr;IH~ ~OO ~'(~,I!'\i of m~' ).:~·Ilill~ in PhiJ'I~h'lJ1hi~1.

~ OPI~li Ih,~ )!,Iltt':>

tt) rn~ ht\Ll:-'I' .1I Fi'i.ltlklin ellUrl (at Ind(~lwlld(,ll("p .'\alilllwll·li"tork:d P,lrk) fllr' pl;l\, ... ).!lIIi\l·~ lirid

l(lll("('n ... E.\:pIMI· r~iy

dN'U'it tHltion~ OIl ilu: Fr:rnklin II1~lhut\, S~ ii.·n~ (~ ,\IU<"PlilTl and <",.'(' tlw I.·.\:I it· ill)! tw", hl1t1re~ CI~nlt~r IIIWnin)! thh ,ptin~,

~ '1'h:lI\ (}nl~' till' !w~inni)lg, \\j/i'i.~ dmnl"ing

B.FRANKUN B.FlUm

B.HEHE IN 1990!

q ~pN'ial \\·I·(·I-,(·nd partil':-' lrolll .lallu<Jf"'· W SepH't'1lhl'!',

~ J"ili in IiI" {·I~'uri· !~ ili)..l !",·turn: For ~rl'~ ial hll!I.·! pii~ Ili)).!.I' ... iirid 1/"(,(,

in/()rnwtilm. ~~')Id in thl' IllUPllll Iwl~\\, ~)I' (,ill:

1·800·.321· WKND F~--~---l

I .... 1III .. -~.~---.. ,,~,-""="" I I Il'IIIII~' ____________ I I I I I I I II \ -----.--- I I '11.1/ .. ~ .... ~~_.ill" ___ ._ ... __ I I l'llll 11\111'11l II p'.\ 1·"11.... I I :;~tU~::I:IIII(~lil(;(11 ! l~'(I:~;I\~'(~"~'I:: ~"~

PHILADELPHIA ( ~) \, \ 1 \, 1 1 ( I \, " \ I ... I I ( \ 1,'" I \ I Ii 1 \!

1990

Ben Franklin inviH~s VOl!

to celebrate your ri~h1 10 visit Phi/adelphi,) in 1991 during the 200th Anl1iversm'v of the Bill of Rights ..

~ S(~I! :"'pc(iil/ pro­grums and exhibits ,U Independence Nrniotlal Histol'ical Park ilild

Franklin COUtl.

r-+O EXI'Jl'ti!.!IH.'(: Ibe h'ailkJin lrlStiUHl~'S rli~"' Mus~er Choices Forum ;md i1~ in1er')C1ivc video "ri~hts" progiJm,

.,.....0 View mOljor exhihits on the work IJnd anistic struggles of Henry 0, T,lnner .11

1991

the Philadelphiu I'vluseum of Art and Thomas EllkillS Ilt Iht: Pennsvlvnnio. Acadcm,' of Fine Arts,

For' special hme! p.H:kllgl~:'> olid frl~l~ iii for· rrtllliOll about :vciJr·l()n~ ~~,'(~I1tS, !i(md in Ih(~ ~j)upr)n bd~'lW M ~:.::JII;

}·800·321·\\'K'\ID

1 .... \.\11. _____ _

, 'T.ITf"~_~~Z!I' ___ .

II'HIL"U!"l.I'Hl.\{.O-':\1:\,TI(n. '" \ 'I~ITOK~ 11\ 'nf" ,.11

, I~I~ \IAf!",r':T ~l"f.I~n I P!III..~J)I:t.I'HL\, P.I 1'!l11~

_ ~ _ ~ ~ ~ ~ _~c.:....'..J

Ce/.elrratl· Amt~r,,:a's Quiuce11umary in Philadelphi,,! Wp'I'I' thmwin»::1 \,(~(l.rl('ln~ i'~'II·hrotilln 10 fotnl1wnlnr:lI('

Ihl~ ~(\(hh lInnt\·er.:llry 01 til(' C(\llimhH~ \'(IVH~I~S. WI~'r~ c:llIinf,': it "~('if:hhllr~ in th~ f\;I'\-\· W~\rld," ,!r\d 1.<,'('

ilwit(, you 10 join \J~' • (:(1111\' ah~lard! Ttlll Shi[l~. and 1'\'('11 di(' N"lIt. P"11tl lind Sm"ltll Mdl'id will \·i.;il.

• Our fl·s'h·:ll~~Yo, Phil,l, d('ll"lhhl!, Fr~l'Ilom FI'~'i"al and Ih(~ GI'~';l1 Gospel Picnic VV·I'ldwnd - nl:lk(, ,I ~\lInm(~r ~pll\~h in Phl1adl'I()hi:l. • "PiGls~\) Stili Lif(!s" h:l~ its only E:I~t C(\lI~t ..:fl(\win~:11 'ht' Phihldld!lhi:l MII~I'lJl"\i (If AI"{,

~'\1'.H: __ , ___ ., .. ,

,\,Id, ",(,'11 h:l\'i';\ h\lil~'

Cf\l\llTlh\l\ PI\" \\·lli'~i'~)d [),lrT\' in I qt)~ lI'ith 1.~II·i:ltl()

P;'lv!\toI1i 11·;ldi1il!. \l\1f P:lf:Hh'! F(lr h"'~1 infnttli,ll!f\n .

ah(lllt ~p('("i:11 b(I~I') r,\;\t'~!H:W~

lind I'v',~nl~. ~I'nd ill dli' \ I\\\jl~\'i hl')I\\" (II' I·all:

J-ROO·6R2· 7676

AD()!l.HS:-; "M~"'"~_' __ '~"~~~~'''~ ".""m"~=.'~" ....

C:1T\' ._ .•. ~_.' .. __ ....• _. __ .,_._ .•. _. __ •..•

stATE _______ ?lI'_, ____ ._ ..

1992

NoVi In the heart of America's 1110St historic city, constlUctioll continues 011 the nc.W PCllllsy\vanin Convention Center. InJunc 19')3, Philadelphia will open a statt.'(,f-thc-an, uniquely (kslgned f,\('.ilit)' that comhhles the historically certified Reading J'Tmil1altmin slwd, with a new and cXc:iting exhibition center. • '135,000 <<.jlwre !'eet of dedicated

exhibition SpiKe. • A .1 ,201l room Marriou hOiel

l'linnectl'd to thelacility.

What city is

about to open 1I1e 2nd largest

Convention Center

• A IOwl of :;,625 hOld rooms within walking distane". in 1I1e Northeast?

• 50 meeting rooms and 90,000 square ht of meeting space,

• A 32,000 squ:lI'C i()ot halln)om

• Unique two"bel design I())' ensy tralIic lio\\',

• 27 off-stl'wtl'uck loadmg hays, Call I'()r our lWW Pennsylvania Convention Center brochure which includes 1100" plans, maps and much more,

PHILADE:LPHIA PHILADELPHIA (:I'!NI'\',IHIOI' ~ VI!'li'I,\>~ Io(JRI:hl'

Not only does Philadelphia now

boast a new woM class facility with the Pennsylvania Convention Center, more importantly, we Ilave also rewritten the rules that control facility-labor relations. We now boast the most user friendly labor partnership in tile Ilistory of the city.

In Pililadelphia, we understand that the most important element of successful events lies not necessarily with the physical structure where your event is held, but with the human element, tile people involved in making your event happen. That's why Philadelphia Ilas established a new facility­customer-labor partnership that is as world class as our facility. Tilis is our pledge to the industry.

To find out more about tile Center and how this agreement will make your next event run smoothly, call 1-800428·9000. Don't miss out on Ilistory in tile making.

IllINNsnVANU ImNVIIN'nON

(;I~N'rlm 11111' i'ulltt!llI.iIlIlI:,mWr I'lallil

11111 ~1'l:it SImI'! • I'itililililillitiil, I'A l!1I111-22!1l1 1I1t1l1l1!: 1-S1I1I-12S-illllllll (215) HN-41110

fax: (215HIH141

I .-

I I I

.-- -,.,"

Two Rivers, One Great Vacation F(lllQW the \\'fHCt'\\':\\'S of the New \\'orld I{; Phlbdclph\::J.'s \\,:H~l'il'oni and h)Sl{Hl~ p;tl'k. • Touch the LIbert\" Bell. nde the fcm'

and swmg. to the 'rh\"thms of musIC' hcntag(~ fC1iIl\'ab

1·800·682·7676 • E:-.:p(!mIH~C Ilw Eo:;l CO;l.s(s

hottC:;i ne\\' dubs and l'cs\au­rilnls a!on~ the Ddawarc R1W,j' w<l.lcdrol1t

On II", Sd"l\'lkili RII',r, r"I1"", the pin\) of the ;\ml,'nc~1)) Re\'olutlon frOI11 Flo ~hmln 10 V,IIe\' For~c, '.

Ph!l;ld\~lph\~1 \'~~~IM~ C(n\II,~1' 1 6th & WK nh'd. Phll~ddrhl'~, P .. \ 191(J;!

1993

•

1994

1 r. '1 ~ -..i. P' ..-? o ........... \" __ ".,- __

'" ~{(;,/ <J "-

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{;'j, \9--" J ' ~, '\ <,l .,

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CA IN pmIADELPHIA! 'J /~ ..,-.

,} .' \! !,{p /"" to. '~ r / \I~ ',__5 "...,. u.' f~P C>

- o::.~ -...... _.~' Iy--:_ - C7'.~ -~ -, '"",~ --:=:..

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1993

--~25·JULY5 " '1c," ] Oill President B ill (I ill tOil

'to' and Vice President AI Gore at r-.

"'~>"""'·':"i)/·""'.'i)'A'XD".'.i.z ...• ~' •...•... " ..... i MERICA • PENNSYLVANIA CONVENTION CENT!' R

. Grwc:l 0 pen iag --(.J Freedom F~ti'r-a.l .,. Fralning 50 HCJ1!S in j j days wi! II:

• The Philadelphia Oeche'lra • The Pointer Sislers • Fats Domin" • C h u bhl' Checker • Bobb) R rdd I

• The S! ylistics • Mongo SanlaMari" • Th, Philly Pops' 10,000 Maniacs

" Parades" FirC\\'tlfks " (!jnccrts

i'ral,,,,,, /lords: r~~--------~·-------

i GUPSI Quaners Sni\o I !oick I-Ht10-424-2'1Qll ~ (f ivt 3 rc-J. luGH in ns 1 I I Embass)' Suires 1I00d !-80{\-f:M[\.~SSY ~ (do\vntown lora!ion) 1 '

for fllmr i,,/omwlinOl, call J -800-53 7-7676

m" ]lnqnim p,is\s OUS t'l··lr,l.:.~~

l~l-~T~~~

~v~~.-~x6 QlMeridian

PI I I LA DELl'I I I A -.,". ';! '.,-.- ~ . !'."! -f· ~---'! ••

Certainli>ro B

hr;o;i!u:=

I'PA SE'I"'..::-e~

~

Philadelphia

.. ,','

Free Part<w!"Y .' {IWrit"I' , 1/ Mu:seum Admi,..ion II' ,/1 ,/ A JlI'S! Summer Mummers 11 1/(1t(I /li/,11i Boxing Tribute to Muhammad Ali Fre'e Headliner Entertainment

• ~11H'l~V~ )~(li'111'(\ll

" Thl\ Phdh J!t \I'~. Pctl~r :\t'ril. '\lu~I~' ])in~n\\r

• .\lidl.hd h.'lll~l\'II~

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Philadelphi

COLLATERAL MATERIALS

The City of Philadelphia does have a wealth of collateral material running the gambit from maps to restaurant, shopping, walking tour and hotel brochure guides. Much of the information could be considered helpful in directing visitors to different areas of interest.

As is the case with many destinations, the layouts and graphic design covers a wide range of looks, quality and tastes. When viewed in isolation each piece could be deemed attractive, informative and generally well designed. However, when viewed in conjunction with many others. the collective effect is one of disunion and perhaps even some confusion.

For Philadelphia to maximize the economic impact of tourism it will need to ensure that every contact with a visitor is a pleasant one. Presenting visitors with a vast array of different and visually confUSing brochures does have an impact on their overall perception of the City itself.

A sampling of brochures and maps picked up at various locations around the City during the summer of 1994 included:

· National Historic Park - Street Map • Summer Highlights · SEPTA • Center City Transit Routes - Airport Line · Performing Arts Guide · Waterfront Guide · Multi-cultural Summer Festival t · Thomas Jefferson Walking Tour' · Penn's Landing 1994 Prograrn · The Town Crier · Philadelphia Taxi Talk ·t • Philadelphia Shopping Guide ·t · Philadelpilia Hotel Guide ·t · Philadelphia Official Calendar of Events t · Convention Center Visitor Guide' · Philadelphia Official ViSitors Guide 't

• Partially funded by the CVB and/or Convention Center t Partially funded by the State

21

It would be impossible to have a consistent graphic look across all collateral for any diverse destination ~ there are simply too many different organizations and individuals involved. It is however possible to Ilave a consistent look for individual organizations or cooperative partners.

For instance, although only two collateral pieces from the National Park service were reviewed, they were the only ones with any sense of a consistent look and feel, Scaled to fit inside a #10 envelop, both pieces included a black band across the top and the word "Independence" positioned in the upper left hand corner in reverse type. "National Historic Park Philadelphia" and "National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior" were similarly positioned in the upper right hand corner, The same type face was used for both pieces.

Publications prepared for or partially underwritten with the aid of the Convention and Visitor's Bureau and/or the Convention Center are not as graphically coordinated as they should be. While there are some "similar" elements, they are few and the overall effect does not suggest that they come from the same or related organizations.

This is partially a result of the creative and production being decentralized with many independent contractors involved. Decentralized creative and production is usually done in an effort to save money. While money can usually be saved, the impact of the collective effort is usually diminished, The question that needs to be addressed is, "Does the savings offset the reduced impact?"

The CVB's advertising agency does offer assistance in graphic layout at times, but usually only in an advisory position with no final control or say in the end product. CVB and Convention Center publications should be better coordinated and designed to give visitors and residents alike a uniform image of the City.

eVB TOURISM MARKETING BUDGET

Just as it had done for the past eight years, the CVB was not planning on placing much emphasis on targeting the consumer or vacationer market. The vast majority of resources were again being planned to address the needs of the Convention Center. The preliminary 1994/95 CVB Tourism Marketing Promotion & Sales Plan called for changes in the emphasis of the sales efforts concerning the target market segments detailed below,

22

The small amount of funds allocated for tourism were to be broken down in the following manner:

TARGETED TOURISM SEGMENT PAST % FUTURE %

SALES EFFORT SALES EFFORT -Domestic motorcoach/lour Operator 65% 35%

-Retail travel agents 0% 15% ~-, ..

In!'1 markeUrecepllve operators 20% 15% - -,

Packaging & partnerships 5t>/o 15% ~-, -Special events 5% 10%

-Minority/ethnic 5% 0,1

Consumer 0% 0%

Within the CVB, efforts have been allocated annually toward Tour Operators which bring the vast majority of Philadelphia's visitors - a combination of overnight visitors and day-trippers - primarily those visiting Independence National Historical Park.

During our interviewing process it was revealed that tour operators see Philadelphia as a popular "stop" on the New York to BaltimorelWashington bus route, When pressed as to why Philadelphia isn't considered more than just a "stop" and why bus tours don't program a more extended stay in the city, the response is that there is simply no consumer demand for it. Discussions with several individuals familiar with the motor coach business in the east confirms this,

ASTA

One of the key findings from the qualitative reseal'ch among travel agents within a 250 mile radius of Philadelphia, conducted for this report, is that there is very little travel agent awareness of all the City has to offer, Therefore, in addition to experiencing little consumer pull there is also little travel agent push on behalf of Philadelphia, The City has an excellent opportunity to increase awareness of the City as a destination city through the upcoming American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) Conference,

23

In travel, the two most effective methods of persuading someone to visit a destination are positive word of mouth (recommendations from friends and relatives) and having previously been to the destination. Marketing executives develop elaborate programs to attract travel agents on familiarization trips (FAMs) so they can experience the destination or service first hand and later recommend it to their clients.

The ASTA conference represents the equivalent of a mega-FAM and provides Philadelphia with an excellent opportunity to showcase the City to thousands of agents at one time. Providing agents with a positive experience at the conference could result in millions of dollars in new vacationer spending in the City in coming years. The City's effort with respect to ASTA will be a critically important undertaking. Indications are that the CVB and City have devoted substantial resources to preparing for this conference.

Philadelphia is a city in transition and one that is really just beginning to promote itself to visitors as a vacation destination. Although virtually no effort was to have been placed against the consumer market by the CVB in this fiscal year, important changes occurred.

The CVB together with partners, have launched two significant efforts directed against consumers. This includes a $200,000 cooperative advertising program with the State of Pennsylvania and the $150,000 Barnes Exhibit cooperative promotion. These two efforts are significant because they address two of the central problems with past tourism activity for the City: building awareness and creating vacation packages.

The cooperative program with the State is designed to build awareness of the City through insertions in large circulation consumer magazines. The Barnes Exhibit program offers packages which makes it easy for visitors to actually buy a vacation package.

As a result of the highly successful Barnes Exhibit cooperative program, which exceeded everyone'S expectations, the CVB is currently working with local hotels to develop at least six similar programs for the next fiscal year. These programs have already been included in preliminary budgets for next year and include funds for programs aimed at seniors, the Barnes reopening, the Cezanne Exhibit, the Flower Show, Jambalaya Jam and Welcome America. ..

24

The increased emphasis on targeting the vacationer market by the CVB and other Philadelphia organizations is most likely a result of a number of factors, not the least of which includes the Mayor's leadership, the establishment of the Hospitality Cabinet and the upcoming ASTA convention.

For tourism to truly flourish in the City, actions taken to build awareness and package trips to the City so it is easy to buy, will need to intensify. In addition to stronger communications and promotional programs, the new effort will need to have a longevity spanning several years in order for the City's tourism initiatives to be successful. For all of this to occur organizational adjustments need to be made to ensure that there is an entity which is devoted to tourism promotion, possesses funds necessary to develop and launch an effective marketing campaign, Also, the organization must have the commitment and the resources to devote consistent funding to the marketing effort for Philadelphia tourism for a number of years.

25

APPENDIX H

TARGET MARKETS

One of the most comprehensive research studies on the US tourism market was conducted by Canada Tourism in 1985. Although now 10 years old, the research provides interesting information on the segmentation of the us tourism market. Perhaps most importantly for Philadelphia, is the fact that there is a significant portion of the population that are interested in visiting cities.

The following will provide a summary of the research as it pertains to Philadelphia. Ideally, by implementing the recommended research programs a more precise understanding of city travelers, particularly those inclined to visit Philadelphia will be obtained.

One objective of the Canadian study was to identify the basic long-haul travel motivations, benefits sought and product/activity needs of the tourists. Thus, particular emphasis was placed on the segmentation of the market based upon: attitudes to vacation travel; benefits sought from vacation travel; activities, facilities and interests required to meet these benefits. In essence, the results of the survey gave general information on the life-style, vacation style, benefits segments, activity/products segments, travel habits, and preferences of the pleasLire travelers.

In the study, there were eight trip types identified as being taken by the population. On the basis of the eight trip types established in the study and on the importance tourists place on travel activities, two major product segments evolved in the research findings: a big city product; a cultural product both of which are highly applicable to the city of Philadelphia. Following is a summary of the characteristics of the two product segments:

Big city product segment

Primary Activities SLinbathing Going to live concerts or live theater Taking gLiided tOLirs Going to bars and discos Attending ethnic festivals and events Taking rides at amLisement parks Shopping for arts and crafts of the area

Secondary Activities Visiting museums and galleries Viewing science exhibits

Amenities Dining in elegant, sophisticated restaurants Staying in first-class hotels Dining in a variety of restaurants

Location Being by the ocean

Benefits Spending time with someone special Having fun, being entertained Getting away from pressures and responsibilities Just resting and relaxing Being together as a family

Benefits - Special Emphasis Finding thrills and excitement Meeting people with similar interests Having lots of different things to see and do Being pampered, having all of one's needs attended to Taking advantage of reduced fares Fact of visiting a big city is important

Demographics No distinguishing demographic characteristics ... similar to the entire US travel population

Geographic Location No distinguishing characteristics as far as geographic distribution by census divisions

Applications to Philadelphia

In regards to the importance tourists place on activities, Philadelphia should promote its variety of prestigious restaurants, theaters, and museums. Another area of focus would be guided and/or walking tours of the city which could concentrate on showing tourists the city's historical sites.

2

Cultural product segment Divided into two different trip types for analysis: touring and city:

1, Touring cultural product - touring travelers with a strong interest in cultural activities

Primary Activities Visiting museums and galleries Viewing science exhibits Attending ethnic festivals and events Shopping for arts and crafts of the area

Secondary Activities Shopping Going to live theater and concerts Going to zoos or wildlife exhibits Seeing wildlife one doesn't usually see

Benefits Fulfilling a dream of visiting a place one has always wanted to visit A prestige trip

Amenities Staying in first-class hotels Dining at elegant, sophisticated restaurants

Location Visiting big cities Visiting small towns and villages

Who Tend to be older, contain more retired people, and consists of more females tl1an the total touring trip group

Where Tend to be concentrated in the Middle Atlantic Census Division

2. City cultural product - touring travelers with a strong interest in cultural activities

Primary Activities Visiting museums and galleries Going to zoos or wildlife exhibits

3

Viewing science exhibits Attending ethnic festivals and events Taking guided tours

Secondary Activities Shopping Going to live theater and concerts Taking rides at amusement parks Attending sporting events Walking or strolling about

Benefits Visiting places important in history Experiencing different cultures, ways of life Fulfilling a dream of visiting a place one has always wanted to visit A prestige trip

Amenities Staying in first-class hotels Having budget accommodations Sampling the local cuisine

Location Visiting big cities Being by the ocean

Who Tend to be better educated and more affluent than all the city trip travelers

Where Tend to be located more in the Middle Atlantic and East North Central Census Divisions and less in the Pacific

Similarities between the touring and city trip types in the cultural product segment:

1. Interest in viewing culture 2. Attracted to quality amenities 3. Benefit in seeing the trip as a prestigious one

4

Differences between the touring and city trip types in the cultural product segment:

1. City trip type is concentrated in the Northeast 2. Interests of city trip type are wider than the touring one 3. Members of city trip type are slightly more upscale

Differences between the cultural product segment and the total population:

1. Members of cultural segment are older, better educated 2. More female members in the cultural segment 3. Cultural segment concentrated more in tile Northeast of the US

Applications to Philadelp/Jia

Philadelphia has most of tile attractions, amenities, and benefits to appeal to and satisfy the touring cultural and city cultural tourist type. Specific attractions to promote for both groups would be the museums, theaters, and ethnic events and festivals. The major differences between tile two segments Philadelphia should be aware of are that the people who are attracted to the city cultural product are especially interested in historical places and tend to better educated and wealthier. Thus, Philadelphia should heavily promote its richness of history and design informative programs and/or walking tours. In regards to the tourists attracted to the touring cultural product, Philadelphia should target the older, retired segment.

5

APPENDIX I

RESEARCH ON THE IMAGE OF PHILADELPHIA

Metropoll V The Convention and Visitors Bureau subscribes to Metropoll which is as explained earlier, a survey conducted among a national sample of major meeting and convention decision makers, Although the survey is geared primarily toward the meetings and conventions market, it does ask respondents to rate 40 cities based on a series of vacation related attributes.

As with the earlier Metropoll Studies, Philadelphia performs well for being "inexpensive to get to" (ranked 5th), for having "moderate food and lodging costs" (index 14th) and being easy to get to (18th). Unfortunately tt1ese are all secondary attributes, those attributes which are not particularly important when making a vacation destination decision.

I.. PHILADELPHIA VACATION IMAGE .. METROPOLL V ...... -

ATTRIBUTE INDEX' RANK~\Io

lNEXPE;N$IVE TO GET TO 164 • MODERATE FOOD ANO LOOGING COSTS 122 1_

EASY TO GET TO 116 16

GOOD SIGHTSEEING 11. l'

CONVENIENT AIRLINE SERVICE 1,. 1" --GOOD LOCAL TRANSPORTATION 105 ,. GOOD FAMILY DESTINATION a. ,. TOUR OPPORTUNlTlr~$ 94 1D

GOOD REsrAUAANIS .2 21

OUTLYING AREAS 60 20

HIGH FOOD AND LODGING COSTS 17 21 .. -

LOW FOOD AND LODGING cosrs 67 ,. POPULAR PlACI! 65 J1

DIFFERENT/UNIQUE 48 ,. M~",

GOOD ADVERTISING 4' )0

FRIENDLY RESIDENTS 44 )2

GOOD VALue FOR THE MONgy " 3.

GOOD SHOPPING 41 3.

CLEAN/A TTRACTIVE CllY 37 35

GOOO NIGHT I.IFE 36 33 _ .. _-ROMANTIC PLACE 2. 28

l,OW CRIM~ RAlEJSAFE 25 33

WONDERFUL CLIMATE 1. 34

• Philadelphia's rating - average is 100 "Philadelphia's rank compared to 40 other cities

The City performs poorly on key attributes vacationers consider when selecting a destination - attributes such as a "popular place" (31st), being "different/unique" (28th), having "friendly residents" (32nd), and offering "good value for the money" (35th). Particularly disturbing are the perceptions of Philadelphia as being a "clean/attractive city" (35th) and for "low crime rate/safe" (33rd).

The seriousness of Philadelphia's image problems as a vacation destination can be more easily seen when the figures on the preceding table are expressed graphically. Again, the figures in this chart are the perceptions meeting planners have of Philadelphia as a vacation destination. Their perceptions, like those of vacationers are shaped by a number of elements including the media and advertising and promotion. They are also shaped by personal experience with the destination -- 57% of respondents claimed to have visited Philadelphia sometime in the past.

PHILADELPHIA CITY PLANNING COMMISSION

As part of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission's work in developing the Destination Philadelphia report it conducted a series of research studies. These included:

Special Events Survey Attraction Survey Hotel Survey

Each of the three studies measured different individuals and used different questionnaires and are therefore not directly comparable. The surveys do however provide several valuable insights into the image of Philadelphia and issues that will need to be addressed as the City tries to capitalize on tourism.

The following will provide details of those reports as they pertain to Philadelphia's image.

Special Events Survey

The Special Events project surveyed 404 individuals who had attended three separate special events - the Core States Bike Race, July 4th and River Blues. The majority of respondents were from inside the metropolitan area (66% versus 34% non-metropolitan).

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Of those individuals within the metro area who participated in the survey, city residents rated Philadelphia slightly higher than suburban residents in every attribute measured.

--IMPRESSIONS OF PHILADELPHIA

METROPOLITAN RESIDENTS SPECIAL EVENTS SURVEY --

Attribute Cltv Suburban

Attractlvoness 6.7 6.4

Restaurants 8 7.9

Architecture 8.2 7.9

Safety 5.1 5

Transit 5.3 5.1 _. Historic area 8.7 8.3

Cleanliness 5 4.7 ~---

Parks 7.1 6.7

Shops 7.6 7.2

Friendliness 6.5 6.2 .-

This information tends to confirm comments made by industry leaders about how residents of the suburbs have a less favorable opinion of the City than those who actually live there. Comments were made during th~ interviews that "many" suburbanites actually brag about how long it has been since they have visited Philadelphia. Some see their lack of visitation as a matter of accomplishment or pride.

While this survey shows that there is a difference, albeit a small one, between the two groups it must be pOinted out that the suburbanites who did come to the City didn't see it as much of a problem. Perhaps a greater difference in opinion would be seen if a random sample of suburbanites (including tl10se that have and those that have not viSited the City recently) were taken.

In the events surveys, the primary reason individuals from outside the metropolitan area were in town was a result of their "special interest" (33%) in the event. Events therefore can be used to attract individuals to tM City.

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Interestingly, more visitors had heard about the event as a result of "word-of-mouth" (29%) than because of "media exposure" (22%). The lack of funds available to promote events has been previously noted.

Nearly half of the non-metropolitan visitors spent the night in the city with a two-thirds/one-third split between staying in a hotel versus staying with friends or relatives. Therefore, not only can events entice individuals from outside the metropolitan area to visit the City, they can also help increase hotel occupancies.

Those visitors that stayed overnight had a more favorable impression of the City on every attribute measured. Significantly more positive perceptions were expressed by overnight stayers on the important attributes of "safety," "cleanliness,' and "friendliness." It is difficult to determine the casual relationship here. Did the individuals feel better about Philadelphia because they stayed over - or did they stay over because they already felt better about Philadelphia?

IMPRESSION OF PHILADELPHIA OVERNIGHT VISITORS VS. DAY TRIPPERS

Attribute No Nights Nights

Attractiveness 6,9 7.3

Restaurants 7.5 7.8

Architecture 7.3 8

Safety 5.7 6.9

Transit 5.4 7.4

Historic area 8.4 8.8

Cleanliness 5.8 6.6

Parks 6.7 7.8

Shops 7.5 8.3

Friendliness 6.6 7.6

Unfortunately the survey does not break-out perceptions of hotel stayers and those that stayed with friends or relatives.

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Attractions Survey'

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission surveyed a total of 787 individuals who had visited the Franklin Institute or Independence Hall. 68% of the respondents were from outside the metropolitan area, 32% lived in the metropolitan area, By far the main reason for their visit was for sightseeing (74%) which is not surprising given the locations where the surveys were administered.

_._--PHILADELPHIA ATTRACTIONS

SURVEY REASONS FOR VISIT

Roason % --Sightseeing 74

Cultural Event 12

Visiting Friends 3

Sporting Events 2

Business 6

Convention Meeting 3

As can be seen in the following chart, non-Metropolitan residents impressions of Philadelphia were more favorable than metropolitan residents in all areas surveyed other than restaurants and parks,

In the special events survey residents of the City had a more favorable impression than those people from the suburbs. Together the "city" and "suburban" make-up the "metro area". This attractions study found that individuals outside the metro area have a better image of the City than those within the metro area.

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IMPRESSION OF PHILADELPHIA METRO VS NON·METRO RESIDENTS

-Resident

Non-Metro Metro

Historic Area 8.7 8.5

Architecture 8.4 8.3 _._-Shopping 7.5 7

Restaurants 7.8 8

Parks 8 8

Public Transit 7.4 6.1 .. Overall 7.7 7

Cleanliness 7.7 5.4

Safaty 7 5.5

Friendliness 8 7.1

Of particular note are the last three attributes - cleanliness, safety and friendliness. In all three instances, visitors from outside the metropolitan area had a decidedly more favorable impression of the city than local residents. This may be in part a result of the "Philadelphia Phenomenon" where Pililadelphians seem so negative about their city. It may also be because non-metro individuals only saw the areas immediately surrounding Independence Park and the Franklin Institute while metro area residents were thinking of the entire city when responding to the survey.

It is quite possible that the City is missing out on the two most effective and inexpensive forms of marketing communications in the travel industry -- positive word-of-mouth and recommendations of friends and relatives. If the City's own residents have a poor image of the City they will find it difficult to communicate positive images and promote Philadelphia. If this is true, then why would any outsider wish to visit. At this point, the economic consequences of such resident perceptions cannot be determined, but could be substantial.

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.!:iotel Survey

In late June and early July 1991, members of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association distributed a Planning Commission designed questionnaire to hotel quests, A total of 365 valid responses were received from which general observations about how hotel guests "consume" Philadelphia's visitor services, (an 8% return)

Of the 365 responses the majority were from business people (44%) with another 15% from conventioneers, Only 29% could be considered extended stay vacationers with 19% coming for sightseeing and another 10% visiting friends and relatives,

While not specifically dealing with vacationers, the survey does contain several important observations on the City's image -- specifically:

1, Exceedjng Expectations - While it may be encouraging that the guests' experience exceeds expectations, it is troublesome that expectations are low to begin with, Changes in perception were most notable among first time visitors

2, Weak I:Qin\§ - The City's weakest points, as reported by hotel guests, were cleanliness, safety and road signs, (This was in 1991,)

3, Opportunity - At the time the report was written it stated, "With the opening of the new convention center, the City has a unique opportunity to reveal its [best kept] secrets to a new generation of visitors, It is important that Philadelphia make the most of this opportunity,"

As the Metropoll research as well as the two qualitative studies conducted as part of this assignment tend to indicate - the City has not made "the most of this opportunity,"

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• GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF TARGET AUDIENCES

• UNIFIED THEME OR MESSAGE

• HEALTHY ADVERTISING BUDGET

• ENTHUSIASM

Except for "Enthusiasm" for building a tourism promotion program, which has only recently been present in Philadelphia, the other characteristics are not present in any organization in Philadelphia.

While there are numerous organizations in Philadelphia involved with tourism, there has been no organization that is perceived to be effectively marketing Philadelphia as a tourist destination or to have taken a leadership role with respect to tourism. The CVB which plays this role in many cities is seen, as a result of recent priorities, to be focused on convention sales rather than tourism.

There has been little government funding available for or devoted to tourism promotion in Philadelphia for more than a decade. The private sector has contributed to developing events and programs aimed at improving the tourism product such as Welcome America, Penn's Landing events and Historic Philadelphia but almost no money has been devoted to advertising.

The attractions rather than working together for the common good are competing for the limited resources which are available. There are few examples of cooperative efforts.

Philadelphia is behind its competitors in developing a tourism promotion program.

ORGANIZATION RECOMMENDATIONS

1. A new organization needs to be created. One influential Philadelphia CEO said, "Tourism is so important to Philadelphia it needs a new organization that doesn't exist today."

2. Simplicity is the key. The new organization should be a not-for-profit corporation with a small board and staff.

1'I{lI.Ai)W.I'IlJA mURlSM REPORT:

ix J,'XECUT/Vli SUMMARY

3, The proposed name is The Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp, and a proposed organization chart appears on page 128,

4, The responsibilities of the organization should be developing and implementing an effective tourism marketing program, coordination of the various tourism stakeholders in Philadelphia and developing dedicated revenue streams necessary for continuity,

5, The organization needs to promote the City aggressively and consistently for a minimum 3 years, with the following preliminary annual budgets:

Philadelphia T9l!risnl Marketing Corp,

Advertising & Production Co-op programs Other programs & 'Operations Miscellaneous Promotions Research

Total

$2,000,000 1,000,000

650,000 175,000 175,000

$4,000,000

• A TIEMPTS SHOULD BE MADE THROUGH THE USE OF IN KIND CONTRIBUTIONS AND OTHER MEANS TO KEEP OPERATIONS COSTS AT A MINIMUM IN ORDER TO DEVOTE MORE OF THE BUDGET OIRECTL Y TO AOVERTISING,

l'HllA1JE(,J'HlA TOURISM REPORT:

x EXECUTIVE SUMMARY