• June 12, 2007

Philadelphia, which in recent years has been marketing itself heavily as a travel destination, is one of only two of the top 20 cities in the United States that has shown an increase in overseas visitation from 2000 to 2005, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries.

Figures show that Philadelphia had 44,000 more overseas visitors in 2005 than in 2000, while other major U.S. cities showed a decline in visitors from overseas during that time frame.

The city's tourism board marketed to international travelers for the first time in 2002, via integrated TV and print efforts in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy--all markets that offer non-stop air service to Philadelphia. In 2003, the city also started pitching the Netherlands and Ireland, Scandinavia, Spain and China.

More recently, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau is marketing the city as a venue for international meetings and promoting itself on AOL.uk.com, Ebookers.com, Expedia.com, Lastminute.com, onlinetravel.co.uk, Travelocity.com, deckchair.com, Zuji.com and cheapflights.co.uk.

--Karl Greenberg