NYC & Company Opens Tourism and Marketing Office in Canada

NYC & COMPANY OPENS TOURISM AND MARKETING OFFICE IN CANADA

Favorable Exchange Rate and Winter Savings Including NYC Open: Book 2008, NYC Sunday Stays and Third Night, As Well As the Air Canada New York Weekender Air Pass, Make It an Ideal Time to Visit New York City

New York, NY (February 5, 2008) NYC & Company, New York City�s official marketing and tourism organization, today officially opened its office in Canada�the City�s second-largest international market. To celebrate the opening, the organization will hold trade meetings and events with key tourism partners in Toronto and Montreal. The opening comes in the midst of a continued favorable exchange rate for Canadian visitors and as New York City continues to offer savings citywide with NYC Open: Book 2008, NYC Sunday Stays and Third Night promotions as well as a new Air Canada New York Weekender Pass.

�Canada is already our second-largest international market and shows signs of continued growth through 2008,� said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. �There�s no better time to visit New York City�the favorable exchange rate combined with our promotions such as NYC Open: Book 2008, Third Night and NYC Sunday Stays as well as Air Canada�s New York Weekender Air Pass provide visitors with even greater value during their trip. It�s now easier than ever for Canadians to visit and enjoy our world-class shopping dining, entertainment and cultural attractions.�

NYC Open: Book 2008 provides more than 250 special offers at hotels, restaurants, shops, cultural and entertainment venues and other service providers citywide. Third Night offers visitors a complimentary reservation for a third night at 10 participating hotels following the purchase of two consecutive hotel nights. Both NYC Open: Book 2008 and Third Night are available through February 29, 2008. NYC Sunday Stays, an ongoing promotion, offers discounts and other promotions for guests who spend a Sunday night at one of more than 40 participating hotels. Information on these promotions and more is available at nycgo.com.

In conjunction with the opening, Air Canada has launched the New York Weekender Pass. This Flight Pass promotion, available for purchase today through May 31, 2008, offers travelers four or eight one-way flight credits for travel on Saturdays and Mondays between Montreal, Ottawa or Toronto and New York City�s LaGuardia or Newark Airports over a 12-month period. For complete details or to purchase a Flight Pass, visit aircanada.com.

�Air Canada is very pleased to partner with NYC & Company. New York is one of the most exciting destinations in the world and Air Canada is the leading carrier flying between Canada and the City, with 604 flights a week to the New York region. People have more reason than ever to travel here, and our New York Weekender Pass is going to make it more convenient and affordable than ever for Canadians from Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal to visit,� said Charles McKee, Vice President, Marketing, Air Canada.

The number of Canadian visitors traveling to New York City has steadily increased since 2004. Canada is now New York City�s second-largest international market with an estimated 880,000 visitors in 2007�up from 840,000 visitors in 2006. These increases come under New York City�s recent announcement of a record-breaking estimated 46 million visitors to New York City in 2007. This includes 8.5 million people from overseas�an unprecedented surge of nearly 20% over 2006.

Shopping and sightseeing are the top reasons Canadians visit New York City as well as a favorable exchange rate. In 2008, a number of new attractions and events will be available throughout the City, including The New York City Waterfalls by Olafur Eliasson in July and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Yankees Stadium in the Bronx during the stadium�s final season this summer. New York City continues to offer top shopping experiences such as the new shoe department at Saks Fifth Avenue and the boutiques of SoHo and the Lower East Side, as well as landmark attractions such as Times Square, Top of the Rock and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Canada is NYC & Company�s most recent office opening, bringing the total number of international offices to 16 serving all of 23 markets. The office, represented by Vision|Co., is located at 99 Blue Jays Way, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario. Vision|Co. provides tourism, marketing and public relations services, working with the travel trade, airlines and the media to increase visitation to New York City.

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.

Contact Marsha Mowers
marsham@visioncompanies.comtel 416 341 9923