Press Release

NEW LOOK, NEW CONTENT, NEW FEATURES FOR GOPHILA.COM
Philadelphia's Popular Tourism Web Site Debuts After Major Transformation

PHILADELPHIA, November 8, 2005 - 500 cultural attractions. 200 restaurants. 150 hotels. 100 tours and itineraries. There are so many options in Philadelphia and Its Countryside™, and now it's easier than ever to plan a trip with the redesigned and reenergized www.gophila.com, the region's official tourism Web site. New technology enables locals and visitors to build their own customized itineraries to suit couples, children, young adults, mature travelers and those with many other interests. A fresh look and more high-quality content than ever before add to the usability of the only Web site covering the Philadelphia five-county region, making it more accessible than ever for the three million visitors who use it each year.

LOVE Park

Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC

With the use of the Internet for trip planning at an all time high (nearly 64 million Web surfers relied on the Internet for travel and destination information in 2004, according to the Travel Industry Association of America), the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) made improving and enhancing its already popular Web site a top priority for 2005. The result is an easy-to-navigate, highly visual site that conveys the excitement of the city and region through more than 1,500 vibrant images and updated information on more than 5,000 regional attractions.

New and enhanced features add to gophila.com's stunning visual transformation, making trip planning easier than ever.

Additions include:

• My Trip – This personal itinerary builder allows visitors to the site to create customized vacations with their choice of hotels, attractions, restaurants, shops and more. After making their selections, travelers can save and print their itinerary and send it to friends.
• Your Philadelphia – Dedicated sections within gophila.com offer information that appeals to different groups of travelers, including couples, families and young adults. The "Diverse Philadelphia" section features interests for African American, Asian, Hispanic and gay and lesbian travelers.

Enhancements include:

• Revamped Look: The site's new look is the most obvious transformation. Crisp and clean in design, gophila.com uses interactive slideshows to display images of Philadelphia and the surrounding area taken by professional travel photographers.
• Easy Navigation: Dynamic navigation and usability allow gophila.com visitors to easily search and sort information based on desired experiences, specific interests and locations. They can now see more options and find content more readily.
• More Dining Content: Significantly expanded dining and nightlife sections, two topics of great interest to visitors, highlight more than 200 restaurants and bars, with more on the way. Each page features an insider's tip, nearby attractions and accommodations and related itineraries and photographs.
• New Postcards and Screensavers: Redesigned postcards make it easy for visitors to send vacation messages to friends and family, while new screensavers enable guests to be reminded of Philadelphia before and after their trip.

As always, gophila.com boasts an extensive selection of itineraries and online hotel booking capabilities, along with links to hundreds of regional sites. In addition, GPTMC's strong online partnerships with phila.gov, PhillyFunGuide.com, OneBigCampus.com and regional convention and visitors bureaus continue to strengthen the site and keep visitors well connected.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) builds the region's economy and image through destination marketing to increase the number of visitors, the number of nights they stay and the number of things they do in the five-county region. 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.

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit our Photo Gallery.

CONTACT:

Jeff Guaracino, GPTMC
(215) 599- 2290, jeff@gptmc.com