Governor Edward G. Rendell signed legislation to allow Philadelphia to leverage local resources and expand tourism marketing efforts, bringing additional visitors to the region.

"State and city governments are united with Philadelphia hoteliers with the vision and the goal of having more people visit this great city and explore the greater region," Governor Rendell said as he signed House Bill 2167 into law. "It is important to continue to expand the tourism and convention economy as it accounts for 88,000 jobs in the Philadelphia region."

The new law allows the city to impose up to a 1.5 percent hotel room tax. Funds collected would be allocated for increased tourism promotion and for the expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

"We strongly believe that marketing works. In the 10 years that funding has been available for marketing, the number of visitors has increased by nearly 5 million,"

"Because Philadelphia is the state's largest international gateway, it is important to expand marketing efforts to catch the attention of potential travelers to come and experience Pennsylvania," Governor Rendell said. "As competition for tourists and convention business becomes more aggressive, we can not afford to have Philadelphia lag behind Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Boston, all of which spend more on marketing". Governor Rendell said.

The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses.