Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

Philadelphia isn’t waiting until Black Friday to kick off the holiday season. Today, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) announced a $350,000 initiative called Philly’s More Holiday Fun to showcase the city’s holiday experience. The campaign shines a light on Philadelphia’s distinctively independent shops, lighting displays, seasonal events and exhibitions and hotel experiences.

Holiday Shopping Made Easy:
GPTMC has compiled a list of 50 gifts, including original clothing, accessories, decor and eco-friendly items, most of which are made or sold exclusively by Philadelphia designers, boutiques and museum gift shops. Ranging from $10 to $100, the holiday gifts appeal to all ages and interests—from the fashionista and the foodie to the sports fan and the music buff. The gift guide, along with a customized Google Map featuring all 50 shops (sortable by gift category, store and neighborhood), will appear on gophila.com/holidays beginning Thanksgiving weekend. The guide and map gives shoppers a chance to select their items of choice and plan out a fun day of shopping in advance of their trip. Also beginning Thanksgiving weekend, anybody can enter to win all 50 gifts, valued at approximately $2,400. (Big savings #1: There’s no sales tax on clothing in Pennsylvania.)

Season of Lights:
All of Center City Philadelphia will be aglow this holiday season thanks to the addition of a major lighting project on the Avenue of the Arts and the continuation of several annual lighting traditions. The Center City District, working with French lighting firm Artlumiere, is giving five of the iconic buildings along South Broad Street a dramatic new look beginning November 7. As always, many of the city’s parks and squares, including City Hall, Love Park, Rittenhouse Square and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, will be sparkling with holiday displays. For the 52nd year, the famed Holiday Light Show will continue to delight shoppers at Macy’s. And, on New Year’s Eve, revelers can once again gather at Penn’s Landing for a spectacular fireworks display. (Big savings #2: Everyone can see all of these lights for free.)

Sleep Over And Have More Fun:
Because all of the wonderful lights are best viewed at night and with so many gifts to see, visitors are encouraged to spend a night or two in the city. Beginning November 21, 2007, anyone making reservations through January 9, 2008 exclusively on the city’s official tourism Web site, gophila.com/holidays, can enter a special code (holidays) to receive a $50 gift toward their one-night or multiple-night stay valued at $150 or more. (Big savings #3: A $50 gift will be applied to the total hotel room cost.)

Marketing The Season:
The integrated Philly’s More Holiday Fun campaign includes a specialized micro site, gophila.com/holidays; an aggressive public relations push focused on local, regional and national media; and new advertising running online and in print in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. The campaign will run for 50 days from
November 21, 2007 through January 9, 2008.

“The city’s wonderful lighting displays, unique shopping opportunities, annual seasonal traditions and a great hotel offer are all coming together this year to create an authentic holiday experience that can only be found in Philadelphia. Happy holidays!” said Meryl Levitz, president and CEO, GPTMC.

For more information on the region’s holiday happenings and to plan a trip, visit gophila.com/holidays.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.

Contact(s):

• Cara Schneider, (215) 599-0789