Tourism officials and Mayor Cherelle Parker recently discussed how tourism impacted the Philadelphia region last year and what they expect to see in 2024, writes Ariana Perez-Castells for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Philadelphia benefits from a strong tourism economy,” said Parker.

She mentioned many accolades the city has received lately, including James Beard Award nominations and being listed as one of Lonely Planet’s top destinations to visit in 2024 as the best city in the country.

Looking at the numbers, the post-pandemic recovery is progressing well.

The Philadelphia region was visited by 42.9 million people (a 6 percent increase compared to 2022), who spent $7.8 billion in the area and generated an economic impact of $12.4 billion. Tourism activity generated $1 billion towards state and local taxes.

Hotel night stays also increased by 9 percent compared to the previous year and were at 4.25 million. However, that is still 11 percent below the demand in 2019.

There are high expectations for 2024.

More than half a million people will visit Philadelphia this year for a booked event or meeting. Some of them will be international travelers, who are expected to generate almost $800 million of spending in the region.

Read more about tourism and the outlook in Philadelphia at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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