NYC & COMPANY CONDUCTS INAUGURAL AFRICA ROADSHOW IN SOUTH AFRICA AND NIGERIA

—New York City’s Official Tourism Organization is Meeting with 200+ Travel Trade in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Lagos from August 26-30—

—NYC & Company and Cape Town Tourism Renewed City-to-City Partnership on August 26—

New York City (August 27, 2019)—NYC & Company, New York City’s official tourism and marketing organization, is conducting its inaugural Africa roadshow this week in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria. The roadshow commenced yesterday evening with a reception where NYC & Company and Cape Town Tourism celebrated the renewal of their city-to-city tourism partnership, originally formed in 2017. Through August 30, NYC & Company is taking part in destination workshops, one-on-one meetings and networking opportunities, along with partners Delta Air Lines in Lagos and TeamAmerica in all three cities. In total, NYC & Company is meeting with more than 200 members of the travel trade to discuss New York City product and developments.

“NYC & Company is pleased to be in South Africa and Lagos to promote New York City and invite even more travelers to discover the five boroughs,” said Makiko Matsuda Healy, Managing Director, Tourism Market Development, NYC & Company. “Africa is an important emerging target segment for New York City, having grown approximately 45% in the last five years. We are proud to renew our first city-to-city agreement on the African continent with Cape Town Tourism, and to demonstrate our continued commitment to the destination.”

Now formally extended through next summer, the partnership between NYC & Company and Cape Town Tourism intends to boost travel between the two destinations, and includes the swap of marketing assets and sharing of best practices in tourism management.

New York City highlights being shared with key travel trade include a monumental year of new and unprecedented openings and events, including the new Statue of Liberty Museum, adjacent to the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island, Empire Outlets, New York City’s first outlet shopping destination, opened in Staten Island, Hudson Yards—the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States, and the Museum of Modern Art’s expansion by a third, debuting October 21.

In its ninth consecutive year of tourism growth, New York City welcomed approximately 65 million visitors in 2018, including 13.6 million international travelers, with 227,000 visitors from the African continent. The City is on track to achieve its tenth consecutive year of tourism growth in 2019 with an expected 66.9 million visitors, including 13.9 million international visitors. Currently home to 121,700 hotel rooms, New York City has the most active hotel development pipeline in the United States and offers visitors more options than ever to experience and stay in many of the City’s vibrant neighborhoods across all five boroughs.

Nigeria and South Africa, the two largest economies in Africa, both have new and upgraded flight options to New York City. In March, Delta Air Lines launched a new nonstop route between Lagos and John F. Kennedy International Airport. This year, United Airlines will also start new seasonal nonstop service between Cape Town and Newark Liberty International Airport in December, and South African Airways will upgrade aircrafts on its current route from Johannesburg to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

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 all there is to do and see in New York City, visit nycgo.com.

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