2016 Was Banner Year For Tourism In Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia was evaluated Wednesday morning as a tourist destination at the 8th annual New Year's breakfast for the hospitality industry.
Mery Levitz, president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia, says tourism to Philadelphia has been steadily growing over the years.
"2016 was a record-breaking year for the region," Levitz said.
She says the most recent data collected showed that Philadelphia hosted over 41-million visitors throughout the year.
"Out of 53 Saturdays in 2016, 37 of them were 90% occupancy," Levitz said, "and that was without special events!"
She says the biggest draws for visitors were the Philly food scene and the historical attractions.
"And I really credit the people in the historic district for understanding that you have to make history fun for people, because they are on vacation."
Levitz says the majority of Philadelphia's visitors came from the New York region.
"The second most popular point of origin is central Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia area," she said.
Looking ahead to 2017, one of the biggest attractions this year will be the opening of the Museum of the American Revolution.