Virginia targets Philly with "Lovers" tourism blitz
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Virginia's LOVE sign outside of the Phillies stadium during the Phillies vs. Mets series. Image: Courtesy of Virginia Tourism Corp.
The Commonwealth of Virginia has its heart set on Philly.
Why it matters: Its state tourism office is blanketing Philly with its "Virginia is for Lovers" campaign, which won't let up until the end of October.
- They want us to come peep their leaves, per a news release.
State of play: While Philadelphians visit the state, data shows that they don't do so as often as residents of New York or D.C., Juliana Thomas of Virginia Tourism Corp. tells Axios.
- And when Philadelphians do take a trip down south, they tend to stay longer and spend more money than travelers from closer locales, she adds.
- So Virginia would like to see more of them, thus its "Philly Takeover," which launched Sept. 8 and runs through next month.
Zoom in: Locals can expect to see ads on SEPTA, wrapped around rideshare cars, on the radio and all over Insta and Facebook.
- Specifically, the ads invite Philadelphians to check out Alexandria, Fairfax and Prince Williams — northern Virginia counties about three hours south of here; Culpeper — a rural small town an hour south of those — or Virginia Beach and Norfolk, 5.5 hours away.
Yes, but: Axios Richmond says you can skip all those and just visit Virginia's capital city, which is a lot cooler than any of those towns the state tourism office is pushing. They tell us:
- It's just like Philly, only smaller. And with (slightly) less cussing.
- They even have a Philly-themed bar.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Virginia tourism data shows that Philadelphians spend more money and stay longer in the state than travelers from closer locales (not overall).