tourism

Philly makes Conde Nast's top destinations in the world list, return of large events expected in 2021

Experts expect to see large events at the Pennsylvania Convention Center by the end of next year.

Friday, December 18, 2020

Philadelphia earns spot on top places visit in 2021 list

Philadelphia has landed one of eight precious spots on Conde Nast's "Best Destinations in the World" to visit next year as experts expect the return of large events.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia has landed one of eight precious spots on Conde Nast's list of "Best Destinations in the World" to visit next year as experts expect the return of large events.

The prestigious tourism reviewers recently revealed its 2021 Gold List.

The City of Brotherly and Sisterly Love is only one of three places listed in the U.S., alongside Washington D.C. and Kauai, Hawaii.

Conde Nast cited city favorites like Fairmount Park, the Italian Market, and the Historic District.

Conde Nast's Betsy Blumenthal wrote:

There's really something special about Philadelphia, about the way it doesn't care for pretense or about what anyone else thinks of it. One place I return to both in daydream and reality is Fairmount Park, behind the famed art museum, and the miles-long pathway that traces a circle around that part of the Schuylkill River. I think about the Italian Market and its small world of vendors, about the mosaics glinting in the sun, the digestible chaos of Chinatown, the essential, if flawed, sense of American history, the beautiful, dilapidated row houses that speak to the promise of equality we haven't yet reached as a country. Spiritually, it's my city.

Other locations on the list are Rome; Waiheke Island, New Zealand; Peru; St. Barts; and Amalfi Coast, Italy.

And with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout underway, experts expect to see large events at the Pennsylvania Convention Center by the end of next year.

The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau hosted a webinar on Thursday with Dr. David Nash, Dean Emeritus of Jefferson's College of Population Health.

Dr. Nash said COVID-19 will be around well into the next year, but that the US is headed in the right direction.

As more vaccines are administered, Dr. Nash said Philadelphia will welcome back those ready to travel.

"What's their comfort level? And when they come to a great city like ours, we'll be ready," Dr. Nash said.

The pandemic hit the Philadelphia area's hospitality industry hard, with an estimated $5.8 billion lost in visitor spending.

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