New York City aims to take bigger bite of tourist apple

New York City, the US’s No. 1 tourist destination, announced a new campaign to promote even more tourism in an effort that backers say will be emulated by other CVB’s and tourist-seeking destinations.

Underwritten and supported by various US companies, the tagline for the year long campaign is “See More. Be More. This is New York City." NYC & Company is handling the effort.
 

“The new campaign will be seen across the country and in multiple destinations throughout the world, and include promotional packages from leading corporate partners, including American Express, American Airlines and Travelocity, among others,” the promotion arm of the city says in a press release.
 

The effort in the Big Apple is expected to provide even more momentum to a tourism industry that employs more than 308,000 New Yorkers and generates $28 billion plus in economic impact.
 

“Our goal is to let the world know just how vibrant New York City is and remains. This innovative campaign model relies on external resources and will ensure our message reaches a global audience and keep New York City the country’s top destination,” said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta.
 

The campaign is innovative, backers say, because it involves a structure of bartered/donated media and cash — similar to other recent NYC & Company public-private partnerships which have launched using little or no taxpayer dollars. The campaign is valued at $30 million.
 

“Whereas other destinations in New York City’s competitive set rely on massive advertising budgets derived from public funding, the NYC & Company civic-marketing model generates greater impact at relatively minimal public cost,” say backers.
 

“This campaign builds upon many of our previous efforts,” said Jane Reiss, NYC & Company’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “Once again, we fully expect to continue our growth and use the breadth of this program to reach entirely new audiences.”
 

The new campaign will highlight the City’s five boroughs through vibrant and colorful imagery targeted to an even larger domestic and worldwide audience. A variety of advertising and promotional efforts — outdoor, print and digital — will run in several US cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
 

International markets that are also targeted include Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom.
 

“When we engage with consumers from across the globe, we want them to reflect on the feeling of personal transformation that lingers long after a trip to NYC ends. The art reflects the energy, diversity and passion of the city and will hopefully inspire a sense of optimism for future visits,” said Willy Wong, NYC & Company’s chief creative officer.
 

The campaign is expected to reach the widest audience ever for any city program, backers say.
Various travel and promotional deals will be offered.
 

NYC & Company forecasts that New York City will welcome 47.1 million visitors in 2010 — the City is still on track to reach Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s goal of 50 million annual visitors by 2012.
 

NYC became the most popular US travel destination in 2009 and has grown its international market share from 28 percent to 34 percent since 2006.
 

By David Wilkening