Official New York City Merchandise a Great Holiday Gift

OFFICIAL NEW YORK CITY MERCHANDISEA GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT

City Businesses Prepare to Welcome Visitors and Couples with Special Offers and Promotions

New York, NY (December 21, 2007) NYC & Company, the official marketing and tourism organization for New York City, is encouraging the City�s 8.2 million residents and 43.8 million visitors to consider official City merchandise for this year�s holiday gifts. A percentage of sales proceeds will go towards the continued promotion of the City and the protection of its residents and visitors�New York City was once again named America�s safest big City by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and hosted a record number of visitors in 2007.

�Official City merchandise is a great way to show civic pride and give something back to New York City,� said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. �I encourage anyone who has experienced or been touched by our City, its residents and its heroes, to visit nycshop.com or one of our hundreds of retail partners�it�s quick, easy and there is something for everyone.

In addition to nycshop.com, officially licensed merchandise can be found at over 200 retail stores across the five boroughs. In 2006, the licensing program generated $22 million in sales, and NYC & Company projects a sales increase of $1.5 million, bringing the total for 2007 to $23.5 million.

In an effort to encourage merchandise sales, NYC & Company created a 30-second promotional video that will run on the back video monitors of New York City taxicabs. The spot, featuring music by emerging New York City artist Maggie Kim, highlights some of the merchandise available from the seven City agencies featured in the program, including FDNY, NYPD, Parks & Recreation and others. Over 7,500 cabs citywide will be equipped to play the video.

�We want to maximize the benefits of our merchandising program,� Fertitta said. �For the first time, officially licensed products have been centralized in one place, and we are dedicated to providing our consumers with high-quality products at reasonable prices.�

About NYC & CompanyNYC & 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.

Contacts
Kimberly Spell
NYC & Company
tel 212 484 1270
kspell@nycgo.comErnesto Freire
NYC & Company
tel 212 484 1295
efreire@nycgo.com