New York City Tourism Hosts Broadway Meets Brazil in So Paulo

10/28/11


—Travel Trade Event Provides Incentive Promotion to Increase Bookings to NYC in 2012—



São Paulo (October 27, 2011)—Members from New York City’s tourism industry last night hosted the first-ever Broadway Meets Brazil event at the Auditório Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil.  Broadway Meets Brazil—a partnership among NYC & Company (New York City’s tourism, marketing and partnership organization), Broadway Inbound, American Airlines, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and São Paulo Turismo (the City of Sao Paulo’s tourism board)—is a joint trade event featuring performances from six hit Broadway Collection shows: Chicago the Musical; Cirque du Soleil: Zarkana; Disney’s The Lion King; The Phantom of the Opera; Priscilla Queen of the Desert; and Wicked, as well as an exclusive Q&A session with the performers. Attended by a select group of 150 top tour operators and travel agents in Brazil, Broadway meets Brazil also served as an incentive promotion to increase travel bookings to New York City in 2012, with a specific focus on increasing Broadway’s exposure among Brazilian travel planners.



Brazil is New York City’s number three overseas market. An estimated 589,000 Brazilian residents traveled to New York City in 2010 and contributed approximately $1.6 billion in spending to the City’s economy—a new record and 77% increase over 2009. The top-ranked activities for travelers include shopping, dining and cultural tourism. Overall New York City welcomed a record-breaking 48.8 million visitors who contributed $31 billion in direct spending. Tourism is the fifth-largest industry in New York City, supporting nearly 310,000 jobs across its five boroughs. The City remains on track to meet Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s goal of attracting 50 million visitors annually by 2012.



As part of the partnership, Brazilian travelers are invited to book “Bright Lights Big City,” an exclusive offer available at all of Starwood's New York Metro Hotels which includes The Chatwall New York, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, The Helmsley Hotel, W New York, W Union Square, W Times Square and W Downtown. New York is the only city in the world to boast all nine of Starwood’s distinctive and iconic brands: Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, W, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Four Points by Sheraton, Element and Aloft. The “Brights Lights Big City” offer includes up to $75 in added values including guaranteed 3pm late check-out and complimentary in-room internet and health club access when guests book their reservation from November 1 - December 16, 2011.



The United States is the number one market for Brazilian travel overseas; an estimated 1.2 million Brazilians visited the United States in 2010—34% more than in 2009. Conversely, about 667,000 Americans traveled to Brazil in 2009, making it the number one destination for American travelers visiting South America.



For more information about travel to New York City, follow @nycgo_press and @nycgo_br. For high-resolution images from today’s event, please visit nycgo.com/pressphotos and click on “Today’s News.”



To learn more about the best of Broadway for follow @BwayCollection on Twitter.



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.



About São Paulo Turismo
São Paulo Turismo S/A (SPTuris) is the official tourism board of the city of São Paulo and has the mission to position and to promote the city of São Paulo as the capital of business, knowledge and entertainment of Latin American, highlighting its cutting edge and cultural character, seeking to consolidate it as a tourist destination. This mixed-economy company and also manages the Anhembi Convention Complex and the Interlagos Race Circuit. For more information visit spturis.com and cidadedesaopaulo.com.



About American Airlines
American Airlines, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection® carrier serve 260 airports in more than 50 countries and territories with, on average, more than 3,400 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft. American's award-winning website, AA.com®, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld® alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members and members-elect serve more than 900 destinations with more than 10,000 daily flights to 149 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com, and AAdvantage are trademarks of American Airlines, (NYSE: AMR).



About Broadway Inbound and The Broadway Collection
The Broadway Collection is part of Broadway Inbound, a Shubert Organization company with decades of experience in the theatre industry, the travel industry and wholesale ticket distribution, who specializes in FIT sales of Broadway shows. The Broadway Collection was created in response to a huge demand for Broadway within the travel industry and includes 17 distinctive, top tier shows. Broadway Inbound offers a simple ordering system and open access to extensive free-sale inventory directly from the box offices of the shows of The Broadway Collection at unbeatable FIT wholesale prices. Unparalleled experience in theatre ticketing, marketing, and operations makes Broadway Inbound a perfect source for professional buyers of travel and theatre.



To register as a buyer or to purchase tickets to any Broadway Collection show, contact your local tour operator or travel agent or visit broadwaycollection.com.



About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,058 properties in 100 countries and territories with 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and ElementSM.  The company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit starwoodhotels.com.



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Contact:     Tiffany Townsend/NYC & Company     212 484 1270