NYC & COMPANY ANNOUNCES HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW NEW YORK AT IPW PRESS CONFERENCE
NYC & COMPANY ANNOUNCES HIGHLIGHTS OF THE “NEW” NEW YORK AT IPW PRESS CONFERENCE
—New Destination Product, New Ambassadors and New Tools to Sustain NYC’s Record-Breaking Visitation in 2016—
New Orleans, LA (June 21, 2016) — At a press conference today at IPW, the travel industry's premier international marketplace, NYC & Company presented new tourism investments and destination updates to an audience of key travel media. With an expected 12.7 million international visitors this year and 59.7 million visitors overall, New York City remains the nation’s number one destination for overseas travel, in part due to the ongoing development of demand generators that continue to draw travelers from around the globe to the “new” New York City.
At this morning’s event, NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon outlined new developments in the City’s hotels, infrastructure, attractions and more. Additionally, he discussed tools the organization has implemented to further drive destination awareness in the global marketplace, including a new visual rebrand, relaunched tourism website NYCgo.com and See It for Yourself global campaign.
“NYC & Company is proud to be at the travel industry's premier international marketplace this year, presenting the ‘new’ New York City—new product, new ambassadors and new tools—to position NYC as a must-visit-now destination,” said Dixon. “The NYC visitor experience never stops evolving, and IPW is the ideal platform to showcase these developments to the global travel audience.”
During the press conference, Dixon introduced NYC & Company’s newest Official NYC Family Ambassadors, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Stacey Feder, SVP, Marketing and Sponsorship of the groundbreaking Hudson Yards development.
Hudson Yards, on Manhattan’s Far West Side, is the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States and the largest development in New York City since Rockefeller Center. When complete, the site will include more than 17 million square feet of commercial and residential space, more than 100 shops and boutiques including the City’s first Neiman Marcus, 20 restaurants, 14 acres of public open space, a 150-room luxury hotel, and a new observation deck. The first phase, the Eastern Yard, will debut in 2018–19.
This afternoon NYC & Company will host its fifth consecutive IPW Luncheon, NYC Center Stage, in conjunction with Broadway Inbound. The event, emceed by NFL Heisman Trophy winner and star of Broadway’s Chicago Eddie George, will showcase live performances from Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour, Chicago, On Your Feet! and Wicked.
In 2015 New York City welcomed a record 58.3 million visitors—the City’s sixth consecutive year for record-breaking tourism. Growth is expected to continue, with an expected 59.7 million visitors in 2016, comprising 47 million domestic and 12.7 million international visitors—both all-time highs.
New York City has the most active hotel development pipeline in the country, with around 109,000 hotel rooms as of June 2016 and an expected inventory of 135,000 hotel rooms by 2019.
During IPW, NYC & Company is joined by 14 New York City travel industry partners: 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Alliance for Downtown New York, Carnegie Hall, Hotel Edison, InterContinental New York Times Square, New York Wheel & Empire Outlets, NYC Airporter Transportation, One World Observatory, Paramount Hotel, Patina Restaurant Group & The Rink, Rockefeller Center, The New York Pass, TravelAdvocates, YOTEL New York.
For more information about visiting New York City’s five boroughs—the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island—visit the new NYCgo.com.
About NYC & Company
NYC & Company is the official destination marketing organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City worldwide. For more information, visit nycgo.com.
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Contact: NYC & Company / Chris Heywood 212-484-1270
NYC & Company / Britt Hijkoop 212-484-1270