New York City has world-class dining, shopping, entertainment, cultural institutions and iconic attractions, but this summer the city wants one more thing: British travellers. This week, NYC & Company, the official marketing, tourism and partnership organisation for the City of New York and long-standing partner American Express and Brand USA launched a new campaign to encourage Brits to travel to New York City this summer. The campaign, under the banner New York Summer, highlights the best of the five boroughs for adults and families alike through a new blog titled A British Guide to NYC and marks the first time NYC & Company and American Express have partnered on an international promotion.
“New York City welcomed a record 52 million visitors in 2012 and over a million of these came from the UK—more than any other overseas country,”
said George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company.
“With the New York Summer campaign, we’re not only renewing our commitment to our most important overseas market, we’re also giving Brits a million more reasons why summer 2013 is the time to visit New York City. From free outdoor events such as cinema screenings, concerts and theatre to the 14 miles of beaches, botanic gardens and parks across the five boroughs, summer is the perfect time to visit New York City.”
A British Guide to NYC blog is available via the nycgo.com homepage. The blog is strategically hosted on Tumblr, a popular phone- and tablet-friendly platform with more than 102 million users, and will be written by a British author in order to create an authentic voice and focus on aspects of New York City that will appeal to repeat British travellers. Content will be updated daily and include photos and short, easily digestible posts on dining, shopping, entertainment, urban exploration and events, covering both iconic attractions and unique local experiences. Through embedded social-share capabilities, the blog will encourage real-time engagement potentially reaching thousands of Brits from 6 May to 31 August 2013.
Brits and their families will also be introduced to the huge variety of events and cultural attractions available in New York City only during the summer months. With a full programme of outdoor concerts, theatrical performances, cinema screenings, public art and sport competition, visitors can enjoy some of New York City’s most popular draws outside in the warm weather. Summer also brings with it popular New York City annual events such as the opening of Governors Island, Pride Week, Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks, NYC Restaurant Week and the US Open.
More than a million Brits visit New York City each year, and with a high rate of repeat visitation, the campaign is aimed at enticing them to experience new destinations and explore the hidden gems and off-the-beaten-track activities across all five boroughs.
A British Guide to NYC is supported by an out-of-home media campaign across London and digital marketing activity targeting travellers across the UK. NYC & Company will also drive traffic to the Tumblr blog through its dedicated UK Facebook page (www.facebook.com/nycgo.uk) and Twitter stream, @nycgo_uk, which were established in 2011 to engage with a British audience using local language, in real time, and with information relevant to those planning or researching future visits to New York City.
New York City welcomed over one million British visitors in 2012, making the UK the number one market into New York City and showing that 28% of British travellers visiting the USA are going to New York City.
