With summer being the peak season for Indian arrivals in New York City, NYC & Company is now promoting its local events to bring in more tourists from India during the winter months. Speaking on the sidelines of the Brand USA roadshow in Mumbai, Makiko Matsuda Healy, Vice President Tourism Development, NYC & Company, said that both the trade and the travellers in India are changing and evolving, which means NYC needs to broaden its product offerings. “What we are going to focus on are attractions that the travel trade can use as promotional tools to sell the destination better,” said Healy.
According to Healy, the period from Christmas till February, and July to September, are value added seasons for visitors to NYC. “We have several local events that take place during this time such as the Restaurant Week where world-class fine dining is available at affordable rates, Broadway Week, and even Fashion’s Night Out which highlights NYC as the fashion capital of America, among others. This is a great time to visit the city and its boroughs. The post-holiday sales at the start of the year are a great attraction too. In addition, these are months where hotel room availability is never an issue. Most of our visitors are repeat clients, and the trade in India can easily use these attractions to sell new experiences to them,” she added.
The tourism board is also leveraging its ‘Under 30’ programme to lure in younger travellers from India who would be potential repeat visitors. The company is working with the hotel community for discounted accommodation rates, as well as pushing hostel availability for backpackers. They are also in talks with suppliers for student discounts at various restaurants and attractions. The Empire State Building, Intrepid Air Space Museum, and Madame Tussauds are among the products NYC is currently pushing in India.
“The museum and Madame Tussauds are unique venues for even weddings and MICE events, and will be promoted as such. We are constantly working with the trade and hope to see increased visitor arrival numbers from India. In the last ten years, Indian footfall to NYC has doubled, which makes us very hopeful of the destination’s success in the coming years as well,” concluded Healy.
NYC & Co recently participated in the Brand USA roadshow in Mumbai and Delhi, where they were joined by senior executives from New Yorks’ Empire State Building, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, Madame Tussauds, New York Water Taxi, Marriott and Le Parker Méridien. The roadshow highlighted the five boroughs – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island, as tourist destinations for the Indian market.
