Day 5 of The Place that Loves You Back Index

PHILADELPHIA, July 31, 2000 — Helpful SEPTA conductors have joined other Philadelphia "surprises" identified by visitors in a survey conducted today at PoliticalFest by Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. By today (day five of an eight-day survey), 250 visitors had been polled, and visitors rated their overall Philadelphia experience 4.4 out of a highest rating of 5. Once again, visitors identified the same top five groups as most responsible for delivering their positive experience -- hotel staff (21.6%), local residents (17.2%), convention volunteers (14 %), restaurant staff (11.2%) and police officers (9.2%).

When asked what they found most surprising in Philadelphia, visitors (most of whom are in town for the Republican National Convention) mentioned the following:

• Friendly residents (11.2%)
• Cleanliness of the city (6.8%)
• Great art and architecture (4.4%)
• Helpful SEPTA conductors giving out directions and information (4%)
• Feeling of safety and security (3.5%)

Out of all 250 respondents, the only negative mentioned repeatedly was the weather, which has been mentioned by 8 % of visitors.

"We can’t do much about the weather, but we’re very happy to see that everything else is going well for them," said Meryl Levitz, president and chief executive officer of GPTMC. "Basically, our visitors are proving what we always knew – that once they experience Philadelphia they love it – and we love them back."

One Republican National Convention delegate, who asked not to be identified by name, obviously agreed: "Philadelphia is better than what you see on TV when you watch baseball games."

GPTMC will continue to poll visitors as the convention continues, at Pat’s and Geno’s steak shops on Tuesday, Liberty Place on Wednesday and the Betsy Ross House on Thursday, August 3.

Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation is a non-profit organization dedicated to generating awareness of and visitation to Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. For more information about travel to Philadelphia visit www.gophila.com or call (888) GO-PHILA.

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• July 27: Pennsylvania Convention Center
• July 28: Reading Terminal Market
• July 28 (p.m.) Fox Extra Friday in Old City
• July 31, at PoliticalFest in the Pennsylvania Convention Center
• August 1, at Pat’s and Geno’s, at 9^th St. and Passyunk Ave. (10 a.m. – noon)
• August 2, at Liberty Place at 17^th and Chestnut sts. (10 a.m. – noon)
• August 3, the courtyard of the Betsy Ross House, at 239 Arch Street. (10 a.m. – noon)

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