It’s a Philly wrap in London: CVB hits out for tourism home run

On the back of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball World Tour: London Series (8-9 June), the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), an official MLB Tour partner, has been promoting Philadelphia as a key travel destination to the UK market. The UK market is the leading feeder market for overseas visitors to Philadelphia (projected to bring over 110,000 visitors to the city in 2024).

The PHLCVB was involved in several activations to reach Londoners, including in-stadium advertising opportunities, taxicab wraps, and watch parties for fans at Philadelphia-themed bar Passyunk Avenue at their three London locations.

The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets won one game each on the Tour at the London Stadium, with the PHLCVB working hard to leverage the opportunity to promote the city on the back of the baseball showcase.

In 2023 Philadelphia – the sixth biggest city in the US and its capital until 1800 – welcomed 91,000 visitors from the UK., resulting in $57.5m in total spending in the Philadelphia region. In 2024, the UK is expected to again be one of the highest overseas visitor markets for Philadelphia, with the city projected to welcome 111,000 UK visitors. Quite appropriate for a city founded by the English Quaker Willian Penn.

“International travellers are key to Philadelphia’s thriving tourism economy, particularly as the industry continues to eye a return to 2019 visitation,” said Gregg Caren, president and CEO of the PHLCVB. “Last year, the city welcomed 1.1m international visitors, directly resulting in an economic impact of more than $950m on the region.

“With three daily non-stop flights from London during the summer months, the city is extremely accessible to visitors. As a known sports city, we are taking advantage of this unique and strategic opportunity to reach UK sports fans and let them know Philadelphia is ready to welcome them now and especially in 2026 when Philadelphia will be the centre of the sports universe.”

“This MLB World Tour series is the perfect opportunity for us to leverage the international attention Philadelphia will be receiving,” said Joe Heller, senior vice-president, marketing and communications. “As Philadelphia raises its global profile, our goal with these activations that showcase our city is to inspire travellers to think of Philadelphia for their next big vacation. Come see the Phillies in their home ballpark, one of the best in the US.”

The taxi wraps and digital ads showcase the tourism marketing campaign, Come for Philadelphia. Stay for Philly.