The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (PCVB) Destination Planning Guide for 2009 is now available for tour operators, wholesalers and travel agents. New this year is a section on “voluntourism†in Philadelphia, with opportunities for groups of any size and age to lend a helping hand and experience the true soul of Philadelphia during their visit. There are also new itineraries to help planners create Philadelphia tours.
In launching the voluntourism program, the PCVB teamed up with Greater Philadelphia Cares, the Philadelphia Zoo and Philadelphia Mural Arts Program to offer visitors opportunities to make a difference. Groups can volunteer for a few hours or a few days through activities like helping to paint a mural, assisting with preparing meals for homebound patients, revitalizing America’s largest landscaped urban park and learning about animal and plant conservation at America’s first zoo.
Also in this year’s guide are new itineraries for Philadelphia and The Countryside, including a culinary itinerary highlighting the city’s ethnic cuisines and neighborhoods. Take an insider’s tour of Chinatown; visit a 117-year-old authentic farmers market; stroll through the Italian market, the oldest and largest working market in the U.S.; and enjoy a Colonial-style meal at an historic tavern. Planners can choose one of the itineraries in the planning guide, or mix and match to create their own custom itinerary.
In addition to voluntourism opportunities and itineraries, the free, easy-to-use Destination Planning Guide is filled with other helpful information. There is a selection of specially created VIP, behind-the-scenes and participatory immersion experiences at Philadelphia’s leading museums and attractions in the “Making an Impression†section. The “Calendar of Annual and Special Events†section includes a year’s worth of Philadelphia’s most popular events, including the world-famous Philadelphia Flower Show and the Mummers Parade and Fancy Brigade Finale. And the Philadelphia region’s group-friendly attractions are showcased, along with shopping, dining, sports, entertainment, accommodations, maps, motorcoach parking information and comprehensive group tour information with rates.
For more information about Philadelphia for groups, contact Ryan O’Connor, tourism sales manager for the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, 215-636-3312 or 800-225-5745, ext. 2.
