NYC - The Official Guide

The Power of NYC Hospitality

Tourism is historically a driver of economic prosperity for New York City. In 2019, for instance, the 66.6 million visitors to the City spent over $47.4 billion on hotels, restaurants, shops and cultural institutions across the five boroughs. Tax revenue from this business supported both direct employment and essential services, including first responders, education and transit.

NYC & Company, the parent agency of NYCgo.com, is New York City’s official destination marketing organization, charged with maximizing travel and tourism opportunities and building economic prosperity throughout the five boroughs. In 2019, the travel and tourism industry counted 403,200 workers, making it the City’s seventh largest industry in terms of jobs. Rebuilding travel and tourism to the five boroughs is critical to our economic recovery as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic and seek to restore the City’s dynamism and character.

Below are the areas where NYC & Company is working to drive immediate support for the hospitality industry while the promotion of NYC as a current travel destination is on pause.

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1. Supporting city relief efforts

• Providing immediate and ongoing guidance for local businesses to access relief funds and loans, including hosting a webinar for members with Commissioner Gregg Bishop from NYC Department of Small Business Services and Deputy Director John Mallano from the New York District Office, US Small Business Administration
• Helping the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) navigate the diversity of hotel resources across the five boroughs
• Helping to source surge hospital space for OEM, Empire State Development (ESD) and NYC’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
• Serving as a conduit for donations of ponchos and other essential items for medical personnel
• Assisting the Javits Center with rooms for medical and military personnel

2. Conducting advocacy for the hospitality industry

• NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon sits on the Arts, Culture and Tourism Sector Advisory Council for the Mayor’s FAIR Recovery Taskforce
• Leading the committee for determining the metrics that will define this sector’s recovery to the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and the federal government’s Secretary of Commerce
• Supporting the federal advocacy efforts of the U.S. Travel Association and connecting them with membership for additional support
• Fred Dixon serves as the co-chair of the global Meetings Mean Business Coalition, which advocates for the benefits of hosting in-person meetings
• Representing New York City on weekly calls with the WTTC (World Travel & Tourism Council)
• Compiling economic impact data for government use on behalf of the industry
• Data gathering on behalf of city agencies to assess the number of NYC residents in the hospitality industry who need childcare and to identify unused event spaces for OEM, among other requests

3. Driving immediate spend to the hospitality sector

• Developed Dine in NYC to promote restaurants that remain open for takeout, delivery and the online sales of gift cards—supported with ongoing promotion via earned and owned channels
• Developed Shop in NYC to promote retailers that remain open for the online sales of products and gift cards—supported with ongoing promotion via earned and owned channels
• Developed Virtual NYC to support cultural institutions, theater, nightlife and more by surfacing links to their online experiences to keep NYC top of mind
• Created an online resource of open hotels and discounted rates for the Greater New York Hospital Association, assisting their member hospitals for healthcare clinicians, administrators and other employees who may require overnight stays
• Sourced hotels with for FDNY EMTs and paramedics to access rooms at reduced rates
• Connecting catering companies and other food vendors with RFPs for city contracts
• Sourced transportation options for the Army Corps of Engineers at the Javits Center
• Connecting manufacturers with EDC for personal protective equipment (PPE) production
• Connecting EDC and vendors with the Javits Center to provide temporary showers for frontline workers
• Worked with the Peruvian consulate to source housing for their stranded nationals, leading to NYC & Company joining a Mayor’s Office of International Affairs task force to assist other consulates

4. Retaining future spend in NYC

• Rebooking large meetings and conventions for future dates rather than allowing events that represent thousands of visitors and room nights to cancel or move to other cities
• Developed Virtual NYC Site Tours to provide an up-to-date listing of hotels and event spaces offering online site inspection tools to assist meeting planners and event professionals in continuing to book New York City for future events

5. Leading the recovery plan for the City’s hospitality sector

• Creation of The Coalition for NYC Hospitality & Tourism Recovery (PDF), incorporating leaders from every sector of the travel, entertainment, cultural, sports and hospitality industries to head up economic recovery efforts as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic
• This Coalition will create compelling and effective marketing and advertising programs to help create a healthy employment pipeline and accelerate New York City’s return to prosperity
• This campaign will take a phased approach: first targeting locals, then beyond to tristate, US domestic and key global markets as routes reopen, reaching out to consumers and the global travel trade as well as meeting planners and big events

2019 Tourism by the Numbers

A) $72 billion per year in total economic impact
In recent years, travel and tourism’s effect on NYC has been enormous. In 2019 alone, visitors spent over $47.4 billion staying in hotels, dining, shopping, and experiencing arts and culture across the City. For every dollar a visitor spent, another 50 cents was spent by local businesses and workers. That money spread throughout the City and into the pockets of residents in all five boroughs.

B) $7 billion in local tax revenue
Taxes from travel and tourism helped fund first responders, education and transit, along with other services that New Yorkers need. These revenues saved NYC households an average of $2,185 annually on their returns.

C) 403,200 jobs supported
Direct employment in travel and tourism made it the seventh largest industry in NYC. Visitors to the five boroughs supported positions at hotels, restaurants, museums, shops and more.