In an effort to take advantage of the warmer weather and the loosening coronavirus restrictions, people will be offered free parking in Old City for the next few months.
It’s part of Visit Philly’s “Free Parking Saturdays,” which will run from March 20 to May 29 and aims to encourage tourism, which has suffered because of the restrictions caused by the pandemic.
Here’s the catch: parking is free, but only if you spend at least $8 on any of the 19 attractions from the Independence Visitor Center. But given Philly’s usually exorbitant parking fees, $8 doesn’t sound too bad.
After that purchase, drivers will be allowed to park at the AutoPark at Independence Mall.
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Visit Philly says the pandemic has battered the city, leaving some 68,200 leisure and hospitality employees out of work in the greater Philadelphia area. It expects visitor spending to drop from $7.6 billion to between $3.1 billion and $4.2 billion, in addition to a tax revenue drop from $1.01 billion to between $500 million and $600 million.
In response, Visit Philly has launched it “Pack Light. Plan Big. For Philly” marketing campaign, which aims to encourage day and overnight stays to the city.
