Philadelphia Launches Nation's Largest Gay Tourism Marketing Campaign; Effort Aims To Attract Gay Travelers from U.S., Canada; Photo Available 11/13/2003
From: Jeff Guaracino of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, 215-599-2290, e-mail: jeff@gptmc.com PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 13 -- Philadelphia is pursuing its share of the $54.1 billion gay and lesbian travel market with a three-year tourism marketing campaign launched today by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC). The $300,000 campaign will focus on U.S. and Canadian markets. "Gay travel is a virtually untapped segment of the travel industry, and with the support of Philadelphia's gay and straight community, we are proud to officially 'come out' as a gay-friendly destination," says Meryl Levitz, GPTMC president and CEO. "The Philadelphia region offers gay travelers a vibrant cultural scene, fine dining, outstanding accommodations and a year-round calendar of events of interest to gay travelers." The components of the gay tourism campaign are: -- Research: GPTMC and Community Marketing, the nation's foremost expert in gay travel research, have surveyed more than 700 gay travelers who recently visited the Philadelphia region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties) to learn about gay travel patterns specific to the five-county area. According to Community Marketing, no other U.S. destination has ever conducted similar research. -- Advertising: GPTMC has allocated $200,000 for a national, regional and local print and online advertising campaign inviting gay travelers to visit Philadelphia. The advertising message, developed by the Altus Group of Philadelphia, is "Get your history straight and your nightlife gay." The first advertisement will appear in the December issue of Metro Source magazine in New York, Philadelphia's top feeder market. -- Cooperative Advertising: In response to overwhelming interest from attractions, hotels, restaurants and shops, GPTMC has launched its first gay cooperative advertising program, which gives smaller businesses the opportunity to purchase affordable ad space in major media outlets under one Philadelphia and Its Countryside banner. Cooperative ads in Passport Magazine sold out in less than one month. -- Public Relations: GPTMC has created gay-friendly Philadelphia press materials, which will be posted online and sent to media in the U.S. and Canadian markets. In addition, the public relations effort includes an expansion of the gay photo library, press trips during Philadelphia's gay events and "Philadelphia Road Shows" in Canada to promote gay-friendly Philadelphia to Canadian media. -- Internet: GPTMC has added gay-friendly visitor information and a travel brochure to the region's official tourism Web site, gophila.com. GPTMC will offer a new electronic newsletter called Gay Tripper and will continue to expand its gay-friendly Web content. -- Collateral: A new brochure featuring information of interest to gay travelers will be published in January as a result of a partnership between GPTMC, the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus (PGTC) and the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. -- Sponsorships and Partnerships: Philadelphia has begun actively seeking corporate partnerships with companies that have expressed an interest in the gay market. A committee comprised of GPTMC staff and members of the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus are working together to create a one-stop, year-round sponsorship program that will leverage the gay tourism campaign as well as support the region's gay-specific events and initiatives. -- Hotel Package: A new hotel package, the Philadelphia Freedom Hotel Package, is available year-round at nine Philadelphia hotels, with rates starting at around $99 per night. Packages include breakfast and can be booked by calling a participating hotel. GPTMC is a founding member of the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus, a group of more than 40 regional organizations, including all Philadelphia region convention and visitor bureaus. Members of the PGTC meet monthly to coordinate Philadelphia's marketing efforts towards the gay travel segment. The organization, which includes gay-specific events and hotels, spends an additional $250,000 annually on marketing to the gay traveler. The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Philadelphia's official regional tourism marketing agency, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to building the region's economy and positive image through tourism and destination marketing. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at 800-537-7676, or visit http://www.gophila.com. Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of http://www.gophila.com/pressroom. --- Editor's note: A high-resolution, publication-ready photo supporting this story available for free editorial use at: http://www.wirepix.com/newsphotos/USN |