As Vice President of Global Tourism for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), Svetlana Yazovskikh leads the department’s efforts to position Philadelphia as a top US travel destination to visitors from around the world. She leads the Global Tourism sales team, headquartered in Philadelphia, that promotes the destination in over 25 global markets both directly and through the network of six international offices. Her extensive career in the travel and tourism industry includes overseeing sales and marketing teams around the world and driving initiatives such as strategic planning, travel product development, destination sales, and multi-channel global marketing.
Svetlana’s first-ever live American football game experience was actually in London, when the Philadelphia Eagles played the Jacksonville Jaguars. The PHLCVB team traveled to organize an on-the-ground consumer activation during the fan fest at Wembley Stadium and then hosted key clients and media for the game.
PHLCVB has partnered with the BABCPHL for more than a decade to promote Philadelphia as a top destination for travelers from the UK. Through BABCPHL’s network and events, PHLCVB is able to keep a close pulse on the UK market’s latest developments, have access to experts from a variety of fields to understand and overcome challenges, and grow mutually beneficial local and cross-Atlantic business relationships. Svetlana always looks forward to the annual holiday luncheon event that brings together key regional partners and serves as a platform to network with friends and colleagues. Plus, if you appreciate an avalanche of puns like Svetlana does, the Howard Silverstone show is pun-ishingly brilliant!
Svetlana most misses seeing visitors from overseas on Philadelphia streets, in attractions, restaurants, beer gardens, and hotels. She misses hearing different languages inside the Visitor Center and throughout transit hubs of the airport and rail stations. She misses hearing positive tourist feedback, and even getting on the plane herself, going abroad, and speaking on behalf of the city. While it has been challenging to connect in person during the pandemic-induced lockdowns, it has become increasingly easier to connect virtually. Things that would take Svetlana months of organizing can now be set up on Zoom in just a few days at little or no cost. Beyond that, technology stepped in to fill the void for experiences too, with so many of Philadelphia attractions and venues developing virtual tours, live-streaming concerts, offering access to their digital galleries. After the pandemic restrictions are lifted, Svetlana cannot wait to go back to Russia to visit her family, enjoy some delicious homemade food, and hug her grandma. She may even add on a mountaineering adventure in Kamchatka.
