The City of Philadelphia, in partnership with Visit Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), announced that a record 45 million people visited the five-county Greater Philadelphia region in 2018, marking the ninth consecutive year of growth. An increase in overnight visitation contributed to additional tourism industry records: $7.6 billion in direct visitor spending, which directly supported 103,800 jobs across various industries in both the private and public sectors. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) also contributed to the industry’s growth, reporting a record 32.24 million airplane passengers during its fiscal year.
“Tourism and hospitality are critical to Philadelphia’s economy and our identity as a city,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “The efforts of our tourism partners continue to exceed all expectations—bringing more visitors, more jobs and more revenue to Philadelphia year after year. The latest numbers shared by VISIT PHILADELPHIA, the PHLCVB and Philadelphia International Airport prove that this city is still on the rise. We are proud to show our city off to the millions of people who visit each year, and we are eager to continue telling our story to the world.”
Regional Visitation Breakdown:
A record 45 million people visited the region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties) from the U.S. and international markets—that’s up almost 2 percent from 2017. Of the 45 million, 44.1 million were domestic visitors—1.8 percent more than in 2017. Domestic overnight visitation increased 3.4 percent, the largest increase since 2011. Greater Philadelphia continues to see strong growth in overseas visitation with the Asia-Pacific region leading the way. The PHLCVB will finalize and release detailed overseas visitor data in the coming weeks. A record 32.24 million airplane passengers flew in or out of PHL in fiscal year 2018— an increase of 5.5 percent over the previous year.
Regional Visitor Spending, Economic Impact & Jobs:
Visitors spent $7.6 billion—that’s 6.1 percent more than in 2017 and the biggest upswing since 2011.This direct visitor spending generated $12.2 billion (or $33.3 million per day) in economic impact, a 5.9 percent increase over 2017. Generated $980 million in state and local tax revenue, an increase of 4.6 percent over 2017, which helps support priority programs such as social and public services, and travel and tourism marketing and sales efforts. Directly supported 103,800 jobs across major employment sectors (food and beverage, lodging, transportation, recreation and retail), a 5.5 percent increase over 2017. This total equates to 56 percent of the 187,300 leisure and hospitality-related jobs in the region.
“Philadelphia continues to win over visitors far and wide,” said Julie Coker Graham, president and CEO, PHLCVB. “Whether it’s welcoming people for a meeting, convention or sporting event, or visiting from abroad, our destination continues to see growth among each market segment, translating into job security for workers across the hospitality industry—one of the region’s largest and fastest growing employment sectors.”
“Greater Philadelphia’s new records—45 million visitors, $7.6 billion in direct visitor spending and 103,800 supported jobs—solidly demonstrate the impact that our industry has on the economy and job market,” said Jeff Guaracino, president and CEO, VISIT PHILADELPHIA. “Visitors come to Greater Philadelphia to discover the region, enjoy our attractions and create new memories, and our businesses and residents benefit greatly from that in so many ways.”
“PHL is setting an outstanding pace that we’ve seen only once before, right before the recession of 2008,” said Chellie Cameron, chief executive officer, Philadelphia International Airport. “The Airport has earned across-the-board growth in all metrics, so we are thrilled to continue this momentum.”
