As the global tourism industry reinvigorates itself and recovers from the pandemic, Philadelphia is renewing itself as a popular tourist destination. 

In order to showcase the growth of the returning market, Visit Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) recently hosted a summit, presenting several pieces of information relevant to the local tourism industry.

The year 2026 held the spotlight as one to plan for, as many major events will arrive in the city of Philadelphia. These events range from the global spectacle of the 2026 World Cup, to the national celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

In many ways, 2023 is a prelude to the events of 2026, due to the travel industry still in recovery from the pandemic that eliminated tourism for the city. Yet despite this setback, the city is steadily making gains in becoming a popular tourist destination.

One of the strongest indicators of the tourism industry is the number of rooms hotels rented over the year. In 2022, Philadelphia saw an estimated 2.87 million rooms sold over the year, bringing in approximately $622 million in revenue to the city.

In contrast, 2021 saw only 1.99 million rooms sold, with only $361 million in revenue. As tourism returns, it is expected that these numbers will increase over 2023, given the supply of hotel rooms totaling 5.09 million rooms available year round.

To expedite the growth of travel to the City, a new partnership between the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau has formed, one that will jointly market Philadelphia in a campaign named “Come for Philadelphia. Stay for Philly.”

There are several key goals that this new partnership seeks to achieve, each addressing a different area of what brings people to Philadelphia.

This new partnership seeks to reach out and market towards different countries in order to cultivate and bring back foreign travel. Prior to the pandemic, visitors from China were the largest market through spending, and the partnership seeks to entice travelers to return.

Other countries of promotional interest are the Netherlands, Italy, and Australia; three source markets with the potential to grow into strong avenues of tourism as the global tourism market recovers.

Local and domestic tourism were also topics of interest as the two groups seek to reinvigorate travel in Canada and locally within the region, seeking to relieve pent up demand for travel.

A key strategy is to cultivate the story of Philadelphia. Its culinary restaurants that dot the city, its art and culture, and its landmark tourist locations are all strong drivers of visitation and important pieces of the city that compose the whole of it.

By promoting the best the city has to offer, Visit Philly and the PHLCVB hope to take full advantage of the tourism industry as air travel climbs.