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Philly Goes The Distance With Campaign To Promote Great Outdoors Year Two Includes Enhanced Web Site, Major Sponsorships And New Hotel Package

Press Release

PHILLY GOES THE DISTANCE WITH CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE GREAT OUTDOORS
Year Two Includes Enhanced Web Site, Major Sponsorships And New Hotel Package

PHILADELPHIA, June 21, 2007 - Boundless Philadelphia™, a $1.7 million campaign by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation to promote the region’s outdoor offerings, kicks off its second year with three new initiatives: enhanced features on BoundlessPhiladelphia.com, major partnerships and a hotel package. These enhancements will raise the visibility of the campaign to runners and cyclists and offer visitor-friendly amenities to all outdoor enthusiasts.

Schuylkill River

Photo by J. Handley for GPTMC

Research shaping Boundless Philadelphia’s™ marketing plan found that outdoor activities are important to 44% of potential visitors to Philadelphia (source: TNS Travel and Transit, April 2007) and that the lack of a comprehensive outdoor Web site was the single biggest impediment for locals interested in participating more in outdoor activities (source: Osiris Group, January 2005). Best of all, in the year since its launch, Boundless Philadelphia™ now has 20% name recognition among Philadelphians (source: TNS Travel and Transit, April 2007).

BoundlessPhiladelphia.com:
The upgraded Web site boundlessphiladelphia.com (formerly gophila.com/outdoors) doubles the amount of visitor information available on last year’s site and offers a more interactive, comprehensive look at the region’s outdoor community. Now more than 300 outdoor activities are profiled on the searchable database, which has several new handy features. Highlights include:

Rotating current events content on the homepage
“Boundless Answers,” through which visitor questions will be answered in as little as 48 hours
Dynamic map linking from every activity profile, which can be downloaded to a cell phone
Detailed search options by sport and location. Within each specific profile, content includes “Come Prepared,” “Don’t Miss,” “Outsider Tips” and “You Might also Like.”
New information, including a bicycle rental vendors list, wineries, working urban farms, orienteering clubs, REI’s outdoor school and triathlon and race lists
A monthly e-newsletter about the region’s outdoor happenings
Weekly tips for sustainable living, including profiles of inspiring personalities like Judy Wicks of the White Dog Café, and information about exciting environmental projects, such as the Philadelphia Horticultural Society’s Urban Green Program

Partnerships:
GPTMC is partnering with three regional businesses and five top sporting events, which draw a combined 500,000 people to the city to promote the campaign and conservation. Here’s a look:

Rodale: Boundless Philadelphia™ gains a powerful new media partner this year in Rodale, Inc., publishers of Runner’s World, Bicycling and Backpacker. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the following elements will encourage visitors to explore the Philadelphia outdoors:
- A Boundless Philadelphia™ custom micro-site living on runnersworld.com, bicycling.com and backpacker.com, featuring five biking, running, hiking and kayaking activities in the Philadelphia region
- Boundless Philadelphia™ online media driving traffic to the custom micro-site
- Distribution of information about Philly’s running and cycling events in East Coast cities
Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Enterprise’s new hourly rental program makes it easier to reach the region’s parks and trails. Boundless visitors are entitled to 10% off the best airport rental rate and 5% off the best non-airport rate, by using discount code “17C8810” and the pin “GPT.” Enterprise also will plant trees in conjunction with Boundless Philadelphia™ as part of the company’s 50 Million Tree Pledge.
PECO WIND: The company will sponsor the Boundless Philadelphia™ “Eco-Tip of the Week” on BoundlessPhiladelphia.com and provide environmental education information to Philadelphia residents and visitors.
Signature Events: Boundless Philadelphia™ has developed a branded welcome service for the thousands of athletes and visitors who attend the city’s big sporting events, such as the Commerce Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship; the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon; She Rox, an all-female triathlon; the Philadelphia Distance Run; and the Philadelphia Marathon. At these events, there will be an informative visitor booth, distribution of the Boundless Philadelphia™ map pack and bike safety checks with Neighborhood Bike Works. Event participants will also receive a welcome e-mail with suggestions about how to make their trip to Philadelphia more fun and convenient.

Boundless Philadelphia™ Hotel Package:
Enjoying the outdoors does not have to mean sleeping in a tent. Ten Philadelphia hotels are offering the Boundless Philadelphia™ Hotel Package, available from May 25 through November 19, 2007. Participating hotels are Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia, Embassy Suites Hotel Center City, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Inn at Penn, Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia Midtown, Hyatt Regency at Penn’s Landing, Morris House Hotel, Omni Hotel at Independence Park, Radisson Plaza Warwick Hotel and Sheraton Great Valley Hotel. Rates begin at $149, and the package is available for booking at boundlessphiladelphia.com.

The package, which hotels can also offer during any of the city’s large outdoor events, features:

Discounted or free parking
A Boundless Philadelphia™ map pack, featuring pocket-sized maps of popular running, cycling and walking routes
Discounts on six different running, cycling and walking tours

Campaign Background:
Boundless Philadelphia™ is a regional and collaborative effort funded primarily by a $1 million grant from the William Penn Foundation. Funding is also being provided by a grant from the Growing Green Fund Program administered by the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The campaign is rooted in an 18-month, in-depth study commissioned by GPTMC, which showed that while outdoor tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry, most visitors and even many residents are not fully aware of the breadth of the region’s offerings or that Philadelphia already ranks among the best big cities in the nation for biking, running and rowing by publications such as Runner’s World and Bicycling Magazine.

The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region through efforts that foster rich cultural expression, strengthen children's futures, and deepen connections to nature and community. In partnership with others, the Foundation works to advance a vital, just, and caring community. Learn more about the Foundation online at www.williampennfoundation.org.

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.

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit our Photo Gallery. On the pressroom, you can also subscribe to RSS feeds to receive updates on topics that are specifically of interest to you: What’s New, Dining, Events, Seasonal Travel, Hotel Packages and Tourism Research.

CONTACT:

Cara Schneider, GPTMC
(215) 599-0789, cara@gptmc.com

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