Top Travel Industry Official Weighs Merits of 2016 Dem Convention Hopeful Cities
By David Madden
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With Philadelphia on the short list of cities that could host the 2016 Democratic National Convention, how do we stand against the competition?
We asked a Washington, DC-based convention expert for his perspective.
Eric Hansen, a top official at the US Travel Association, won't come right out and say which city he thinks might be the best fit. Each, he notes, has its advantages.
Philadelphia, for example, has a central location that's easy to get to.
"You have a great, large international airport," Hansen says. "You have Amtrak. I think some other people may have a little bit of difficulty getting there, but Philadelphia's got some great options."
He points out that Brooklyn, if Democratic party officials choose it, may present special problems of its own, even though it has more hotel rooms in the area than Philadelphia.
And let's not even start with the cost of doing business in the New York City metropolitan area. That's an area where Columbus, Oh. might be on top.
But the big issue for Columbus, Hansen thinks, is getting there. And one issue he says he can't address is the politics of site selection, which everyone agrees will play heavily in the party's decision.
