PHLCVB Highlights Canadians Thriving in the City to Encourage Leisure Travel from Canada

Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau Highlights Canadians Thriving in the City to Encourage Leisure Travel from Canada

The city’s global tourism agency launched a new video campaign featuring high-profile Canadians living and working in the city, highlighting their (brotherly) love for Philly

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) is extending a warm invitation to Canadians to visit Philadelphia, utilizing an impressive lineup of Canadians who know the city well – because they have made it their home. The new video campaign series “You’ll Love It Here: A Canadian Welcome to Philadelphia” featuring Canadian-born Philly residents has begun appearing on Canadian streaming platforms, making the case for Canadians to experience Philadelphia’s arts, cultural, historic, and culinary attractions for themselves.

The PHLCVB is Philadelphia’s official international tourism agency, dedicated to increasing the city’s position as a leading destination for international visitors in partnership with 10 in-market representation offices.

“We’re very lucky to have so many extraordinary Canadians thriving in various high-profile roles and institutions here in Philadelphia,” said Gregg Caren, president and CEO of the PHLCVB. “At a time when Canadians might need extra encouragement to return to the U.S., we believe the best people to tell Philadelphia’s story to Canadians are their fellow Canadians who know the city, love it, and have chosen to stay here.”

The Canadian-born Philadelphia residents featured in the new videos include:

• Daniel Brière, general manager, Philadelphia Flyers – Hometown: Gatineau, Quebec
• Raina Douris, host of World Cafe, WXPN – Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
• Alex Kemp, co-owner and chef, My Loup – Hometown: Gananoque, Ontario
• Nic Macri, chef, Royal Tavern – Hometown: North York, Ontario
• Sasha Suda, George D. Widener Director and CEO, Philadelphia Museum of Art – Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

In the campaign, they praise Philadelphia as both a city they have come to love and a place where other Canadians will feel at home.

“Canada will always be my home,” says Douris. “But Philadelphia, that’s my home away from home.”

“There’s so much about Philadelphia for Canadians to love,” adds Suda, who moved to Philadelphia in 2022 to helm one of the city’s most iconic institutions, the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Celebrated chefs Macri, of Royal Tavern, and Kemp, of My Loup, praise Philadelphia’s food scene and incredible community. Flyers General Manager Daniel Brière, who has lived in the Philadelphia area for nearly 20 years, dating back to his time as a center for the Flyers, shares that the people of Philadelphia have been very welcoming. He later adds a message in Canadian French, “You’ll love it in Philadelphia!”

Beginning in late August 2025, the 30-second videos started appearing as part of a six-week streaming campaign targeting selected areas of Canada including Toronto, Quebec City, Montreal and Halifax. This campaign is also being delivered via connected TVs in Vancouver, Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec and Montreal. The videos stream in English with Canadian French subtitles through the Amazon Prime, Bell Media and Warner Bros platforms, as well as on social media. The videos and related ads direct viewers to a special Canadian visitors page, discoverPHL.com/Canada, where they will find the PHLCVB’s International Visitors Guide and a wealth of information for planning a trip to Philadelphia.

The video campaign is part of Philadelphia’s ongoing presence in the Canadian market, which includes in-market media relations representation, year-round work with Canadian travel agents and tour operators, and special promotional events targeting specific travel interests. In recent years, these events have featured joint tourism presentations with the Philadelphia Orchestra during performances in Canadian cities and media events at Phillies/Blue Jays games in Toronto.

“We’re going to keep being creative about our outreach to the Canadian audience,” said Caren. “We’re always looking for innovative ways to showcase Philadelphia as a destination that will surprise you, welcome you, and make you want to visit again and again.”

Canada is Philadelphia’s largest international market for inbound travelers. In 2024, Philadelphia welcomed over 535,000 Canadian visitors, who spent more than $235 million in the region during their stays.

That year, Philadelphia welcomed more than 1.2 million total international visitors, resulting in an economic impact of $1.2 billion directly supporting more than 9,500 regional tourism and hospitality industry jobs. On average, international visitors stay longer in Philadelphia and spend more than domestic visitors. Last year, international visitors spent $572 and 5.2 days per trip.

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About the PHLCVB:

The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) creates positive economic impact across the Philadelphia region, driving job growth and promoting the health and vibrancy of our hospitality industry by marketing the destination, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and attracting overnight visitors. The PHLCVB’s work engages our partners, the local Philadelphia community as well as culturally and ethnically diverse regional, national and international convention, sporting event and tourism customers. The PHLCVB is also the official tourism promotion agency for the city of Philadelphia globally and is responsible for growing the number of international leisure visitors who come to the region each year. For high-resolution photo and video, story starters, press trip information and more, visit discoverPHL.com/press-room.