Need to Appeal to Local Residents and Visitors From Outside the Region
This presents an all new challenge to GPTMC, through whose efforts and initiatives over the past ten years have been largely responsible for a huge increase in overnight leisure visitation to the region. In 1997 there were 5.71 million overnight leisure visitors to the region. By 2005 this number had increased to 8.86 million.
Interesting statistics show that the greatest percentage of overnight visitors (37%) come from within the Philadelphia region itself. This is followed by visitors from the New York City area (Southeastern New York, Northern New Jersey and Southwestern Connecticut) who account for 23% of Philadelphia's overnight visitors.
When looking towards an initiative to promote the region's outdoor opportunities, a plan was developed to appeal to both local residents and visitors from outside the region alike. Thus Boundless Philadelphia was born.
Introducting Boundless Philadelphia
Boundless Philadelphia is a $1.7 million, three-year campaign designed to promote the quality and quantity of the Philadelphia region’s natural assets and outdoor experiences.
Many of us within the region are unaware of how respected the region's natural assets and outdoor experiences are by experts elsewhere in the country. Few know that the area consistently ranks as one of the best biking, running and rowing cities by national publications such as Runner’s World and Bicycling Magazine. In fact whether it’s hiking, biking, rowing, fishing, sailing, running, horseback riding or dog walking, the Philadelphia area is full of fun ways to play outdoors.
A major aspect of the Boundless Philadelphia initiative involved a huge addition to GPTMC's excellent Web site. New outdoor content, available at gophila.com/outdoors, is the key component of the campaign and gives local residents and visitors the online help they need to plan their outdoor adventure.
Combining a Superb Web Site with Print Campaign and "Buzz Marketing"
More than 150 easily searchable, comprehensive pages covering 10 categories give readers the lowdown on the region’s vast outdoor assets. Each page, dedicated to a single location or activity, describes the site and gives standard information, including rental equipment availability, bathroom access, contact details and more. The Web site will be consistently updated. Visitors to the site will be able to plan their entire trip online - learning about attractions, booking hotel rooms and even blogging.
It's not just through their Web site that GPTMC will be promoting Boundless Philadelphia. The campaign involves an extensive print campaign that will appear in such publications as National Geographic Adventure, National Geographic Traveler, Outside and Outside Traveler.
GPTMC will also be utilizing "buzz marketing" which includes a Boundless Philadelphia brigade which will appear at outdoor events all summer to engage audiences and promote the campaign. A Boundless Philadelphia roving reporter will report on dozens of outdoor events throughout the region beginning this summer and her posts will appear on a new blog on gophila.com.
Why Do We Love the Boundless Philadelphia Web Site?
Why might you ask would we recommend and promote another Web site? The answer is simple. The Boundless Philadelphia content available at gophila.com is superbly organized, comprehensive and well written by experts in the region's natural assets and outdoor experiences.
It's a resource that I'll be using to help me discover and experience many things that I, a lifetime area resident, did not know existed in our own region.
Most of us forget that William Penn founded Philadelphia to be a "greene countrie town." Philadelphia has always cherished its lush landscapes and open spaces. The city’s most popular spots for outdoor recreation are Fairmount Park, one of the nation’s largest landscaped, urban parks; and the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. In addition to boasting major attractions such as Longwood Gardens and Valley Forge National Historical Park, each of the surrounding counties has unusual features well suited for outdoor fun.
We'll continue to feature many of these locations and activities in our content, but you can never have enough information when planning how to spend your time. Boundless Philadelphia on GPTMC's Web Site should be bookmarked in your browser. It is on mine.
