Visit Philadelphia® Wins Four Awards For Pandemic Recovery Work

VISITE FILADELFIA^® has won four awards for its tourism recovery work in the wake of COVID-19: three bronze Adrian Awards from Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and one from the Arts + Business Council of Greater Philadelphia. Beyond their marketing merit, the programs represent VISIT PHILADELPHIA’s fierce drive to support BIPOC businesses and the regional hospitality industry over the two difficult years since the pandemic began in March 2020.

The 65th annual Adrian Awards, the largest and most prestigious global travel-marketing competition, will take place on March 20, 2022 in Boca Raton, Florida. VISIT PHILADELPHIA has now won nearly 50 HSMAI Adrian Awards since 2004. The Arts + Business Council’s award ceremony is set for May 25, 2022, honoring leaders and organizations in the Philadelphia region that foster collaboration between the creative and business communities.

Here’s a summary of the latest winning programs and their impact:

• Marketing Support For Black-owned Businesses, HSMAI Adrian Award, Bronze: Black- and Brown-owned shops, restaurants and small businesses, which are anchors of their Philly communities, were at disproportionate risk of closure by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 24 months since March 2020, VISIT PHILADELPHIA ramped up long-existing efforts to raise publicity, awareness, referrals and business for these small enterprises. The tourism-marketing agency packaged and heavily marketed content about hundreds of businesses and entrepreneurs through these cross-promoted channels and initiatives: the Love + Grit podcast, Love + Grit Storefronts Project (more on that below), Shop Black Business Fridays with the City of Philadelphia, and the VISIT PHILADELPHIA: Black Greek Edition web page and videos, inviting members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council to visit Philadelphia.

  At the time of award submission, this work drove 245,000+ page views of Black- and Brown-owned business articles on visitphilly.com, 79,900 referrals to Greater Philadelphia small businesses, 330+ media placements, including The New York Times, and 7.74 million+ advertising impressions.

• “Pack Light. Plan Big. For Philly.” Campaign, HSMAI Adrian Award, Bronze: Launched in March 2021 as travel restrictions were lifting and vaccinations were increasing, the “Viaja ligero. Planea a lo grande. Para Philly.” campaign spoke to people longing to travel again despite the new stresses of pandemic-era protocols. The campaign aimed to drive day and overnight visitation, create leads for email marketing and social media properties, generate press and build overall awareness. To achieve these goals, VISIT PHILADELPHIA ran ads on TV and travel-booking websites, staged an activation offering five New Yorkers a chance to win an impromptu trip to Philly and generated press coverage.

  This campaign drove 108,616 hotel bookings and $6.9 million in hotel revenue attributed to TripAdvisor and Expedia ads. From January through September 2021, there were 512,000 leisure room nights booked in Philadelphia hotels, exceeding hotel projections by 33%.

• Wall Street Journal Article, HSMAI Adrian Award, Bronze: Philly’s charm and character were unmissable in a Wall Street Journal travel story that ran on the cover of the print travel section (October 23-24, 2021) and as an online travel guide (starting October 21, 2021). The piece featured local legends, including Rob McElhenney of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” spotlighting museums, attractions, parks, events and restaurants, along with a “Don’t Miss” section listing more things to do. VISIT PHILADELPHIA’s media relations team worked with the paper’s editorial staff to showcase the best of the city’s offerings. Sharing the article across Visit Philly’s website and social platforms drove 120,000+ impressions alone.
• The Love + Grit Storefronts Project, Arts + Business Council Awards: An extension of VISIT PHILADELPHIA’s popular Love + Grit podcast, the storefronts project commissioned 12 BIPOC artists to transform 24 empty storefronts into expressions of pride, which would also serve as calling cards for future business leases in buildings spanning from South Street through Northwest Philly. The project delivered artistically, generating more than 60 stories, including national press about the gorgeous displays and the Black- and Brown-owned businesses that inspired them. And it delivered on the business side, earning recognition in a New York Times real estate story about the creative ways landlords and retailers are filling space.

VISITE FILADELFIA^® es nuestro nombre y nuestra misión. Como agencia oficial de marketing turístico de la región, damos a conocer el Gran Filadelfia, atraemos visitantes e impulsamos la economía.

En la web oficial para visitantes del Gran Filadelfia, visitphilly.com, Los visitantes pueden explorar cosas que hacer, próximos eventos, itinerarios temáticos y paquetes hoteleros. Fotografías y vídeos atractivos, mapas interactivos e información detallada sobre los visitantes convierten a estos sitios en eficaces herramientas de planificación de viajes. Junto con los canales de medios sociales de Visit Philly, las plataformas en línea se comunican directamente con los consumidores. Los viajeros también pueden llamar y pasar por el Centro de Visitantes de Independence para obtener información adicional y entradas. 6^th y las calles Market, (800) 537-7676

Nota para los redactores: Para ver fotos de alta resolución y material de archivo de alta definición del área metropolitana de Filadelfia, visite la sección Fotos y vídeo de visitphilly.com/mediacenter.