INQUIRER: The cause of the latest migraine for city tourism officials: Parking Wars, the gritty A&E series that traces the not-so-glamorous workday lives of Philadelphia Parking Authority employees as they boot, tow, and ticket their way through the day.
“My family and I were going to visit Philadelphia, but after watching ‘Parking Wars,’ we have decided not to because of fear for losing our car!!!!”
“After watching the series, I would NEVER visit your city. Beyond the obscene parking laws, the people in your city come off as rude, hard, cynical and unfriendly.”
“I am thrilled to say I have never been to Philadelphia and because of what I saw on the show, I never will. . . . You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.”
Hardly sweet nothings to the ears of Meryl Levitz. “This show is an assault on our city,” said Levitz, president of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism & Marketing Corp., whose mission is to lure tourists to the city and region. The regional tourism industry last year generated $294 million in local tax revenue. MORE
PHAWKER: Message to Meryl, it’s not the show that’s the problem — that’s like blaming Apocalypse Now for Vietnam.