NYC & Company sells New York to Indians

NYC & Company will kick start its global 'This is New York City' campaign in India to promote New York as a tourist destination to Indians. The campaign has been created by BBH. NYC & Company has also opened a new tourism and marketing office in India.

The campaign will be launched in the top six cities in India and will later be expanded to other cities, said George Fertitta (pictured), CEO, NYC & Company. The marketing activities for India also include 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.

"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 travellers 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," said New York's Mayor Michael R Bloomberg.

"There has long been a commercial and cultural connection between India and New York City," said Fertitta. "Today, we are extending that bond further by personally inviting all Indian leisure and business travellers to visit New York City in 2009 and beyond."

Read George Fertitta's interview in Campaign India's issue dated 24 October