Celebrate Philadelphia region

Maybe the mind wanders to these subjects … as our nation sits on the eve of its 241st birthday.

That was a time when a group of adventurous individuals came to Philadelphia to explore a radically new concept in terms of creating a country … and a government to help it grow.

Now, 241 years later, they are still coming to the Philadelphia area … in droves. The region has become a tourism hub and the 4th of July week is one of the most popular weeks of the year.

Philly is hot … and we’re not just talking about the weather.

Statistics released by Visit Philadelphia, the group that works to attract leisure travelers, show that 42 million visitors came to Philly and the surrounding Pennsylvania counties in 2016. That was an increase of 2.4 percent over 2015 – and there has been an increase every years since the recession years of 2008 and 2009.

The No. 1 attraction in the region was Reading Terminal Market, with a total of 6.5 million tourists and locals stopping for lunch, browsing and shopping. Never underestimate the appeal of cheesesteaks, soft pretzels and roast pork sandwiches.

America’s history finished a close second, with 5.07 million visitors coming to Independence National Historic Park in Philadelphia’s Old City section. That included 2.3 million visitors at the Liberty Bell and another 752,658 who entered Independence Hall.

Outside the city the biggest attraction was Valley Forge National Historical Park. Marking its 40th anniversary as a national park, the beautiful countryside of Valley Forge hosted 2.4 million visitors. That was a sharp increase of 14 percent over 2015.

Following close behind was Peddler’s Village in Bucks County, which attracted 2 million visitors. Chester County’s Longwood Gardens also was a popular stop with 1.35 million visitors.

Back to Philly – the Philadelphia Zoo attracted 1.16 million visitors. Norristown’s Elmwood Park Zoo – the fastest growing zoo in the region – enjoyed a huge uptick to 550,000 visitors last year. Certainly the new multi-million dollar jaguar exhibit will add greatly to that total this year.

One of the most iconic structures in America, the Philadelphia Museum of Art had 775,043 people walk through its doors. Of course, that does not count the millions who were inspired by the movie “Rocky” and come to run up the steps.

And we cannot forget the old standby – the Franklin Institute. It attracted 877,000 visitors in 2016. For a vast majority of people who grew up in the Greater Philadelphia area, the Franklin Institute was their first major school field trip.

These are all, no doubt, impressive statistics. However, although technically not a tourism destination, all of these numbers pale in comparison to the throngs that come to the King of Prussia Mall annually. According to published statistics, more than 25 million people entered the newly expanded King of Prussia Mall last year. That is a staggering amount of people – and an accompanying amount of dollars.

The bottom line is that America – and the world – is coming to the Greater Philadelphia Area in increasing numbers. It is one of the hottest tourism destinations in the country.

Organizations such as the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board are solely dedicated to making the entry to the region easier, welcoming the visitors and assisting in their quest to get the most out of the Greater Philadelphia Area. And, of course, they do a great job of helping to fill the more than 8,500 hotel rooms in Montgomery County.

Their website, www. valleyforge.org, is a treasure trove of information about travel to this region. Along with organizations like Visit Philadelphia, www.visitphilly.com, they are instrumental in building the tourism industry in this region – and aiding the businesses that depend on it.

But, when it comes down to a busy tourism week, like this week, the most important ingredient is the people of the Philadelphia region. They are colorful, engaging and sometimes even a bit salty. But they are always friendly – especially when compared to some other tourist regions in the country and around the world.

They are one of the Philly region’s best assets – right up there with the cheesesteak and the soft pretzel.

Tony Leodora is president of TL Golf Services, host of the weekly GolfTalk Live radio show on WNTP 990-AM and host of the Traveling Golfer television show — as well as editor of GolfStyles magazine. He is former sports editor of The Times Herald. Send comments to tlgolfservices@aol.com.