New York City may see a boost in tourism next year due to a deal that will purportedly save potential travelers money, and help the city’s tourism industry recover further from the recent recession.
New York & Company, Los Angeles Inc., and American Airlines announced a collaborative effort on Thursday, October 21, to promote travel between the two cities in the first quarter of 2011.
“American Airlines is pleased once again to partner with NYC & Company to promote travel between New York City and our top American gateways,” said Gerard Arpey, Chairman and CEO of American Airlines. “We are committed to working with local tourism organizations and hope to attract more visitors and commerce to each of these cities.”
Over 45 million people visited New York in 2009 and spent $28.2 billion dollars. The city predicts it will host around 47.5 million people by the end of 2010, a 4.2 percent increase over the previous year.
New York’s leisure and hospitality industry employed 322,200 people in August 2010, which represented a 5.3 percent increase over August 2009.
New York plans to encourage further tourism through a number of promotions. NYC & Company highlighted its “Get More NYC” campaign, which will feature promotions at retailers, theaters, restaurants, and other institutions across the five boroughs.
One promotion is the city’s first ever “Broadway Week,” which will offer two-for-one tickets to more than 40 Broadway shows.
Approximately 80 percent of New York’s visitors are domestic. There are nearly 30,000 flights between New York and Los Angeles every year, bringing nearly one million visitors from Los Angeles to New York.
“Los Angeles is a key market for New York City and we look forward to working with LA INC. and American Airlines to further boost the number of visitors between our two cities,” said George Fertitta, NYC & Company’s CEO.
The Obama administration recently appointed Fertitta to the 11-member Corporation for Travel Promotion. The corporation will administer the launch of the Travel Promotion Act, which is expected to create 40,000 new jobs annually and generate approximately $4 billion in new visitor spending.
