New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani extended a welcome to visitors heading to the Big Apple at last week’s IPW in Fort Lauderdale, as the city talks up its value proposition.
He highlighted activities from FIFA matches, the US’ 250th birthday celebrations, Restaurant week deals (20 Jul-16 Aug) and two-for-one Broadway tickets.
. . . Arrivals Up
There are 39,000 hotel beds in a city with 220,000 dining options and one third of the hotels offer rooms for as little as USD215 a night” says New York Tourism & Convention ceo Julie Coker. “International visitors are so important for us; while they represent only 20% of the market they contribute up to 50% of the spend in 2025.”
The projected arrivals figures for 2026 are nearly back to 2019 levels. The move to highlight NYC’s value is a shift from its emphasis on high-end product. Now the RTO has a much broader spectrum across all five boroughs. NY Tourism has identified groups of NYC visitors: Freestylers, young and flexible, likely to be Gen Z; Navigators, searching NYC culture and history, like to pre-book; Moment Makers, looking for premium product, visit muse ums, concerts, live theatre; and Neighbourhood Repeats, visitors who know the city and want to reconnect for specific repeat experiences and explore more diverse experiences.
. . . Connection
The city is also focusing on community events, where people discover and connect in neighbourhoods. It’s inclusive, diverse and flexible, says Coker and fits with the America The Beautiful national campaign. Agents will be able to access fact sheets to say what is happening where. This week it begins in Queens with sports/ play/dining all covered. See more details HERE.
