NYC & COMPANY RELEASES FIRST-EVER COMPREHENSIVE NEW YORK CITY TOURISM INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

7/8/13


NYC & COMPANY RELEASES FIRST-EVER
COMPREHENSIVE NEW YORK CITY TOURISM
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW 


—Report Highlights Success of NYC & Company Public-Private Model and Record-Breaking Tourism Growth Since 2006—


—“New York City Tourism: A Model for Success” Released to
Key Media and Leading Mayoral Candidates—


New York City (July 8, 2013)—Emily K. Rafferty, Chairman of the Board of NYC & Company and President of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company, today announced the release of “New York City Tourism: A Model for Success,” the first-ever official report on New York City’s tourism industry. The report highlights the exceptional growth of the tourism industry after the 2006 merger of NYC & Company, NYC Big Events and NYC Marketing to form a revolutionary public-private municipal marketing and tourism model that has been emulated by destinations around the world. Since the creation of the re-envisioned NYC & Company, the City has seen a record 52 million visitors, an all-time high of $55.3 billion in economic impact and a 27 percent increase in leisure and hospitality jobs—the most of any industry over the last seven years. The report was released today to key local media and the leading 2013 mayoral candidates. 


“Tourism’s robust growth since 2006 is no accident—it was the result of an innovative model and deliberate strategy to target emerging international markets and promote the diversity of tourism activities across all five boroughs,” said NYC & Company Chairman Emily Rafferty. “In order to maintain this momentum and reach our goal of 55 million visitors and $70 billion in economic impact by 2015, the industry will be looking for continued investment and support from the next administration.”


“New York City Tourism: A Model for Success” was distributed today to key local print and broadcast media and to campaign headquarters of all eleven 2013 mayoral candidates. With the report, NYC & Company aims to start a dialogue about the importance of the tourism industry and highlight NYC & Company’s accomplishments as the official marketing, partnership and tourism organization for the City of New York. 


“The story of New York City tourism’s unprecedented success is one that we should all be proud of,” said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. “Over the past six years we have welcomed more visitors than ever before and have generated billions of dollars in economic impact for the City. We plan to continue our efforts and “New York City Tourism: A Model for Success” marks the first-step in an industry-wide effort to ensure that the 2013 mayoral candidates and other elected officials acknowledge and support New York City’s fastest growing industry.” 


Since 2006, the City has set new visitation records in six out of seven years while the tourism industry created 78,200 new leisure and hospitality jobs. Over the past seven years numerous industry sectors experienced exponential growth including hotels, cultural institutions, the conventions and tradeshows market, dining, retail, Broadway and entertainment. The report highlights several key data points reflecting this continued success, including:











  • Record 11 million international visitors, a 52 percent increase over last six years


  • Record 363,050 hospitality and leisure jobs


  • Record 29 million hotel room-nights sold


  • 167 new hotel properties, including 72 hotels outside of Manhattan


  • Record annual 24.5 million cultural visitors, up 30 percent since 2006


  • 95 percent increase in direct spending from convention visitors


  • 23 million retail shoppers helping generate $8 billion in spending


  • 12 million Broadway attendees in 2012


Much of this success was a result of NYC & Company’s concerted effort to target international travelers, who stay longer and spend more than their domestic counterparts, and the company’s focus on highlighting activities and attractions in all five boroughs to reach new demographics and repeat visitors. Currently the City has expanded its global presence with representative offices in 18 countries—including emerging economies such as Australia, Brazil, China and India, all of which have seen visitation go up by more than 100 percent.  As the City developed into the top overseas destination in the country, NYC & Company also launched several marketing and communications campaigns designed to reach LGBT, youth, family and senior travelers, including the Official NYC Family Ambassador program with partners such as Where’s Waldo?, Dora the Explorer, The Smurfs and The Muppets, the NYC I Do campaign in response to the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York State, the AARP-sponsored Broadway Week, and the five-borough Neighborhood x Neighborhood initiative. 


To read the entire report, “New York City Tourism: A Model for Success,” visit nycandcompany.org.















About NYC & Company:
NYC & Company is the official marketing, tourism and partnership 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/ Kimberly Spell 212-484-1270
               NYC & Company/ Emily Mayrath 212-484-1270