Opening of 18th international office in Mumbai marks completion of two-year effort to expand city's overseas presence to reach goal of attracting 50 million visitors annually by 2012. Mayor's film office makes push to encourage Indian films to shoot in New York City.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta today announced the opening of a new tourism and marketing office in India, the culmination of a two-year plan to strengthen the impact of the City's $30 billion travel and tourism industry. Travel to New York City from India grew by 47 percent last year to 157,000 visitors and generated an economic impact of $266 million. The opening of the office in Mumbai brings the City's international presence to 18 offices serving 25 countries. Fertitta opened the office from Mumbai, where he unveiled new media targeted to the Indian market and invited Indians to visit and experience New York City. NYC & Company is the City's marketing, tourism and partnership organization.
"Tourism is a cornerstone of New York City's economy, and by expanding our presence to India, we can grow our share of international travel and bolster its impact on the City," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Two years ago we launched a campaign to expand the City's overseas presence to promote travel and tourism and help diversify our economy, and that initiative is vital now more than ever. International travelers represent 19 percent of the total visitors to New York City but they account for more than 50 percent of total visitor spending. India is already home to one of the fastest growing groups of visitors with inbound travel to New York City having more than doubled in the past five years."
"There has long been a commercial and cultural connection between India and New York City," said Fertitta of NYC & Company. "Today, we are extending that bond further by personally inviting all Indian leisure and business travelers to visit New York City in 2009 and beyond."
NYC & Company unveiled welcome videos by television show host and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi, hotelier Sant Chatwal, and film director, Mira Nair that invite Indian residents to visit New York City. NYC & Company also announced that the City's television commercial, "This is New York City," would expand into the Indian market, and previewed the third phase of the City's "Just Ask the Locals" tourist appreciation campaign, which features Lakshmi. Lakshmi is the first Indian-American to participate in the "Just Ask the Locals" initiative.
NYC & Company also launched the New York City Online Training Academy for the India travel trade market. The online tool will train travel agents and tour operators on best practices for packaging and selling New York City's five boroughs, as well as educate participants on important facts, figures and information relevant to a visit to the United States' largest City.
"With the launch of our new office, we're giving India's travel industry the tools it needs to sell the New York City experience to future visitors," said Fertitta. "It is important now more than ever for NYC & Company to have a presence in India as we capitalize on this important and growing market."
