New York City is expected to attract over 3.8 lakh tourists, with India experiencing a surge in visa applications. The city’s tourism board is dedicated to providing a warm welcome.
The busiest airport system in the world is located in New York City, which is also the most popular entry point for foreign visitors to the US. With a total of 61.8 million visitors in 2023, New York City had a 93% increase in visitors from its record-breaking numbers in 2019. 336,000 visitors from India visited NYC, fully recovering the market’s pre-pandemic visiting levels.
Tourists in Times Square. The Broadway Theater District’s beautifully lit center is known as “The Crossroads of the World.” With an estimated 380,000 tourists set to arrive in the US this year, India is predicted to witness a major surge in visa applications. With over 60% of Indian tourists starting their US adventure via New York, the city continues to be the most popular entrance point among all visitors to the US.
The busiest airport system in the world is located in New York City, which is also the most popular entry point for foreign visitors to the US. With a total of 61.8 million visitors in 2023, New York City had a 93% increase in visitors from its record-breaking numbers in 2019. 64.5 million tourists are still expected this year.
With 336,000 visitors from India arriving in NYC last year, the market has fully recovered to its pre-pandemic levels. This year, 383,000 visitors are anticipated.
The average duration of stay in New York City grew to 11 days in 2023 (from 9.9 days before the pandemic), and the average amount spent per person per trip increased from USD 1,955 to USD 2,200. Indian tourists visiting NYC tend to be more leisurely, travel alone, and stay in hotels when compared to all other foreign visitors. Indian tourists often choose to schedule their flights to New York City in March, April, and May.
India is a major international travel destination for New York City, and the Tourism Board of NYC has shown via a number of projects that they are dedicated to giving Indian guests a warm welcome and an unforgettable experience.
The official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau for New York City’s five boroughs, New York City Tourism + Conventions, completed a three-city sales mission in India earlier this year, hosting events in Mumbai, Delhi, and Ahmedabad. To improve education and sales assistance for the travel profession, the tourist board has recently developed an online travel trade university with Hindi translations.
As part of this trip, delegates from NYC Tourism met with important players and travel companies in three feeder locations throughout India, including Ahmedabad (which is experiencing its first travel after the epidemic), and presented the wide range of options available in New York City for Indian tourists.
“We were pleased to be back in India, a rapidly growing feeder market for NYC tourism, for our annual sales mission, Recently, we introduced the Travel Trade Academy program, thoughtfully enriched with Hindi subtitles to ensure that the Indian travel trade can fully engage with the five-borough destination. By incorporating Hindi subtitles, we aim to empower the trade to adeptly respond to evolving consumer demands, providing a diverse and personalized array of NYC experiences that resonate with the preferences of the Indian audience.”
Makiko Matsuda Healy, Senior Vice President of Tourism Market Development for New York City Tourism + Conventions.
Speaking on the expansion of Indian tourists to New York, Healy said the trend has shown a lot of promise. India is become a major source market for foreign tourists visiting NYC. This rise has been attributed to a number of factors, including better air connectivity, rising disposable income among Indian tourists, and the allure of New York City’s famous landmarks, vibrant culture, and many shopping options. The rise in Indian visitors to NYC has also been facilitated, she said, by attempts to improve the whole visitor experience, partnerships with travel trade partners, and focused marketing campaigns.
In an interview with ETTravelWorld, Beate Mauder Kakkar, Managing Director, Indiva Marketing, who represents the New York City Tourism + Convention in India, spoke about marketing tactics for advancing New York City tourism in India during the sales mission in Delhi.
“India has increasingly become a significant source market for international visitors to NYC. Factors such as improved air connectivity, growing disposable income among Indian travelers, and the appeal of New York City’s iconic attractions, diverse culture, and shopping opportunities have contributed to this growth. Additionally, targeted marketing efforts, collaborations with travel trade partners, and initiatives to enhance the overall visitor experience have also played a role in attracting more Indian tourists to NYC,”
Makiko Matsuda Healy
“The new name is a lot clearer and better understood,” said Kakkar in reference to the rebranding of NYC & Company to the New York City Tourist + Convention. She also mentioned that the goal of the rebranding is to enhance communication on the city’s tourist and convention initiatives.
As for the rebranding, which took place last year, Healy reiterated that its main objective was to strategically position the organization to maintain its leadership in the tourism industry in New York City and to restore its purpose and mission as the official destination marketing organization and convention and visitor’s bureau for one of the most popular travel destinations in the world.
The Indian market has probably benefited from NYC’s rebranding of its tourist industry, as shown by the increased awareness of the city’s identity and its potential to assist the travel industry. Through a clear definition of our identity and the launch of our new brand, we want to strengthen our market position and make it more appealing for important trade partners to collaborate with us in the marketplace,” she said.
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