Number One at the Box Office; A Hit With Tourists; `National Treasure' Inspires Curiosity in American History Sites

Number One at the Box Office; A Hit With Tourists; `National Treasure' Inspires Curiosity in American History Sites WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The box-office hit "National Treasure" is bringing fans to the movies and tourists to America's former and current capitals, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Since the Walt Disney Pictures film starring Nicolas Cage debuted November 19th, interest in the Washington, DC & Philadelphia Tour, inspired by the movie "National Treasure," has skyrocketed. The two cities have collaborated on a free two-city, self-guided tour brochure of the movie sites with accompanying hotel packages and a Web site. Already, more than 20,000 visitors have logged onto http://www.movietour.org/ to download the Washington, DC and Philadelphia tour brochure and to book hotel packages (starting at $99) and Amtrak discounts in the two cities. Visitors also have picked up thousands of the free brochures from Philadelphia's Independence Visitor Center and the DC Visitor Information Center and the National Archives. The tour was created by the Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation (WCTC) and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) who were thrilled to have a Hollywood treatment of their most beloved icons and characters, including the National Archives and Benjamin Franklin, after whom Nicolas Cage's character is named. Reverence for the historic sites, including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the National Archives and the Lincoln Memorial, comes straight from the film's director and star. "One of my secret hopes is that all of these extraordinary American places get more interesting to people and they have a renewed sense of the relevance of these buildings," said director Jon Turteltaub in the November 19 "Philadelphia Daily News." Added Nicolas Cage in the same article, "These places are hallowed ground. You can feel the intensity of the people around these landmarks and when you're up there acting out a scene, running around and potentially tripping or hitting something, you're more concerned about the wood than your head." Sites featured in the film and the tour brochure: Washington, DC -- National Archives -- Lincoln Memorial -- Washington Monument -- Library of Congress -- FBI Building -- White House and Pennsylvania Avenue Philadelphia -- The Franklin Institute Science Museum -- Liberty Bell Center -- Independence Hall -- Old Pine Street (Third, Scots and Mariners) Presbyterian Church -- Reading Terminal Market The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) builds the region's economy and image through destination marketing to increase the number of visitors, the number of nights they stay and the number of things they do in the five-county region. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit http://www.gophila.com/ or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676. The Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation (WCTC) is the lead destination marketing organization for the nation's capital. A private, nonprofit membership organization of more than 1,000 businesses and institutions, WCTC is committed to promoting the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. http://www.washington.org/. Convention & Tourism Corporation Source: Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation; Washington, DC CONTACT: Cara Schneider, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, +1-215-599-0789, cara@gptmc.com; or Rebecca Pawlowski, Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation, +1-202-789-7099, Rebecca@washington.org Web site: http://www.movietour.org/ Web site: http://www.gophila.com/ http://www.washington.org/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment