PHL hopes to expand International Visitors

BY PATRICIA MADEJ 
PhillyVoice Staff

Hey Philly, if you see a few more tourists from the Nordic region in line for a cheesesteak in the next couple of months, don't be surprised.

The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau announced Thursday that it's appointed tourism agency Atlantic Link to represent Philadelphia in the Danish city of Copenhagen in hopes of expanding international tourism to and from the Nordic region.

The firm will work to create itineraries that include Philadelphia and open greater opportunities for better representation abroad, according to the bureau.

"The PHLCVB team has worked actively and successfully in the Nordic market over the last several years by building awareness through travel, trade and press opportunities, and we're beginning to see the results of our efforts," PHLCVB President and CEO Julie Coker Graham said in a statement.

Coker Graham said that there's been more visitation from the Nordic region and that the bureau predicts a 21 percent growth in the Scandinavian market in the next three years.

The opening is part of an ongoing effort to promote international tourism in Philadelphia. The Copenhagen office will be the city's seventh international location, along with locations in China, India, Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The PHLCVB said that overseas visitation has been growing in the last years and is responsible for $982 million in economic impact for Philadelphia.

Philly will launch its nonstop flights to Reykjavik through Icelandair in May, another effort that hopes to boost travel.