More, not either/or, in promoting DC as a tourism destination

The Philadelphia Business Journal has an interesting article, "Phila. unveils new tourism ad campaign," about the progression of the Philadelphia tourism marketing program.

I think it is a best practice example of how to promote a destination that tends to be defined more narrowly than what the destination has to offer.

A couple months ago, I wrote critically of the new promotion program for the city's tourism effort, a move from focusing almost exclusively on the National Experience--the story of DC as the National Capital of the United States of America--to the local.

It's not either-or, it's and-and.

The thing is that the local story is interesting, but in and of itself it's not enough to attract people to the city. It might be enough to get more people to stay a little longer--if properly marketed. And within the mid-Atlantic region, the local piece can be a strong piece of what is offered to attract people to visit.

I like the Philly idea of "More."

DC is more than the National Experience. We have to stabilize, improve, and extend what we have to offer.

From the article:

GPTMC has moved beyond the long-running, "Philly's more fun when you sleep over" effort, which was launched soon after 9/11, to bolster hotel occupancy rates and help restore tourism. The campaign offered a free night's stay with weekend hotel packages, which filled rooms, albeit at discounted rates. Since then, the rates hotels charge for rooms have gone up -- by $15 a night, on average, compared to a year ago -- while weekend nights have become some of Center City hotels' most popular.

"People get the idea that 'Philly's more fun when you sleep over.' They're not going to just do the [Liberty] Bell and the [Independence] Hall every time they come here," said GPTMC President Meryl Levitz. "Now, we're showing them that Philly's more creative, more original, more classic."

The Philly's More campaign, which is already in progress, is running online, on billboards, in print and on movie theater screens before the previews. Overall spending for the campaign, including the yet-to-be launched holiday advertising, will be $1.1 million. GPTMC has an annual operating budget of $14 million.

But in order to be successful, you have to know what you have, why it is important, what is important, and strengthen it.

Tearing down historic buildings and messing up walkable neighborhoods doesn't extend DC's "more." It merely diminishes it.