New York City Rolls Out $30 Million Campaign to Lure Tourists Back

New York City is launching a $30 million tourism advertising campaign, the largest ever in the city’s history, in a bid to rekindle an industry that’s been gutted by the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday.

According to The New York Post, the campaign aims to boost NYC’s hotel, restaurant, arts, entertainment and taxi industries, and bring back the 400,000 jobs that were connected to tourism before the pandemic hit.

It’s no doubt the largest campaign ever launched to promote tourism in New York City, funded through federal stimulus money, according to the City Hall. Typically, the city spends around $3 million every year in tourism advertising.

Fred Dixon, president and CEO of the city’s tourism bureau NYC & Company, explained during the briefing that this major comprehensive marketing and advertising campaign will get started in June with the message that “all five boroughs are open, vibrant and ready to safely welcome back visitors and business events.”

“We’re going to do all we can to accelerate tourism’s recovery,” said Dixon, who noted that the campaign will also “target international travel markets as those begin to open back up.”

The New York Post story also indicates that the city is encouraging New Yorkers to take a hands-on role in the recovery by inviting friends and family to plan a visit to the Big Apple.