NEW YORK – As New York City looks to welcome a record 13.9 million international visitors in 2019, this week NYC & Company kicked off its most expansive global tourism marketing campaign to date. The refreshed “Famous Original New York City” initiative is valued at approximately $20 million (USD) and will reach 22 global markets including, for the first time ever, Ireland and Singapore. This promotional effort reinforces New York City’s incomparable welcoming spirit with the iconic Statue of Liberty depicted in original in-house creative that has a distinct and diversified new look and feel. NYC & Company will also soon launch a more personalized experience on NYCGO.com.
“Starring the iconic and emblematic Statue of Liberty, this campaign unequivocally reminds international travelers that New York City welcomes them always,” said NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon. “As we round out what is set to be another record-breaking year for tourism, we invite visitors from around the globe to discover their own Famous Original New York City.”
NYC & Company has strategically partnered with tour operators and airlines to offer packages and flight-only deals driving visitation in the first quarter of 2020. In addition to out-of-home media through an ongoing in-kind partnership with media provider JC Decaux, digital, partner-owned, and paid promotion contribute to an approximate campaign value of $20 million (USD) to date. This week in the United Kingdom, the City’s leading source of international visitation, digital out-of-home advertisements rolled out in collaboration with British Airways. Additional partners include Aeromexico (Mexico), Asiana Airlines (South Korea), CVC (Brazil), El Corte Inglés (Spain), FTI (Germany), HIS (Japan) and SAS – Scandinavian Airlines (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), with more to be announced.
The redesigned campaign continues to promote the tagline “Welcomes You. Always.” and presents travel partners with several colorful iterations from which to choose, with further design executions featuring other uniquely-NYC imagery still expected to come. New to this year’s initiative is a toolkit that will be given to all partners, designed to empower them to promote New York City in a visually cohesive way and an editorial voice that is aligned with “Famous Original New York City.” Resources provided as part of the toolkit include five-borough imagery, video and other creative assets.
Next month, new digital promotion will appear across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube platforms in Brazil, India, Mexico and the UK. In conjunction, visitors will soon discover a new personalized experience on NYCGO.com, the official guide for everything to see and do across the five boroughs. Whether they are still considering a trip to NYC or have already booked their travel, this “My Famous Original New York City” personalization hub will help users gather inspiration, plan their visit and navigate the destination, by offering ‘favoriting’ tools and providing information (including in-language content in French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish) in response to their behavior and feedback while using the website. The hub will also offer visitors the option to book New York City restaurants, hotels and attractions directly on the website.
“We are pleased to launch the latest and largest installment of our ‘Famous Original’ global tourism campaign to inspire visitors to choose New York City now for their next holiday,” said NYC & Company Chief Marketing Officer Nancy Mammana. “This latest iteration not only features engagement with a multitude of travel trade partners, but also an enhanced and more personalized digital experience for visitors planning their next visit to The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island.”
NYC & Company’s city-to-city tourism partnerships are being leveraged to support this global tourism marketing effort, spotlighting New York City via in-kind media in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cape Town, South Africa; and Toronto, Canada. Starting this autumn, NYC & Company will also collaborate with global corporate partner MasterCard on out-of-home advertisements in key Latin American markets Chile, Colombia and Mexico, promoting Priceless New York City.
2019 is expected to be the tenth consecutive year of tourism growth for New York City, with 66.9 million visitors expected including 53 million domestic travelers and 13.9 million international visitors. Last year, the destination welcomed 65 million visitors. New York City has the most active hotel development pipeline in the nation, with approximately 123,000 hotel rooms currently with another 20,000 rooms on the way.
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 the official source on all there is to see and do in New York City, go to nycgo.com.
