New York City is launching its biggest ever tourism campaign, committing US$30 million to recovery of the sector after the pandemic. Unofficially dubbed “Tourism Reawakens” (a new name will come later), the campaign will begin in June and reflect the city’s reliance on one of the pillars of its economy without which “there is no recovery.”
NYC & Company, the city’s official destination marketing organization, currently forecasts 36.4 million visitors for 2021, recovering more than half of record 2019 volume; and says it expects that 110,000 hotel rooms are expected to be available for booking by year’s end.
At a virtual press event to introduce the initiative – NYC & Company’s first since the pandemic hit over a year ago – organization president and CEO Fred Dixon was quick to point out that the city is “alive and thriving” and well on its way to recovery, including the re-opening of outdoor dining, which Dixon illustrated via video with chef Danny Meyer, and the announcement that the popular NYC Summer Restaurant Week will be reprised from July 20 to Aug. 15.
During the event – beamed to over 200 domestic and international journalists – Dixon and his team covered a lengthy list of news from the city and its five boroughs, including new hotels, dining, attractions, arts & culture, live events, performing arts, retail, outdoor offerings, and MICE. (Stay tuned for the developments in a future edition of Travel Industry Today).
A highlight of the press conference (ed note: it’s odd to say that!), was a performance by the cast of Broadway’s “Girl from the North Country,” assembled in the streets of New York City, of the Bob Dylan song “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” which was designed to remind viewers of the city’s “unparalleled energy, vibrancy and excitement.”
“Tourism accounts for hundreds of thousands of jobs in this city and building a recovery for all of us means welcoming tourists back to the greatest travel destination in the world,” stated New York mayor Bill de Blasio. The ‘NYC Reawakens’ initiative will show travellers everywhere that New York City is not only ready to host them – it’s creating a fairer, better, and more vibrant city than ever before.”
De Blasio says the city is “getting stronger week by week,” and seeing the re-opening of cultural organizations, including theatre, and the return of the city’s vaunted vibe.
As for visitors, “They have loved it more and more in recent years and they will love it again. And it will happen very quickly. This is the place to come if you want to experience rebirth and energy again,” he said, adding, “This city is well on its way to regaining everything it lost and surpassing it. We don’t know how, as New Yorkers, to sit still. We don’t know how to have small, limited goals. We aim high – that’s been part of the greatness of this place for generations.”
US Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow remarked, “New York is always a leader, and this investment in reigniting the City’s tourism economy signals a deep commitment to the importance of bringing back travel and the millions of jobs it supports.”
Dixon noted that the marketing campaign will originally be devoted to a domestic US audience but will extend to international markets like Canada as they open up for travel. This, he said, smiling at the pun, “is the shot in the arm the industry needs.”