New York City’s official destination marketing organisation, NYC & Company, has announced a new outpost in Singapore to stimulate further growth in South-east Asian demand for travel to the American city.
Operated by Singapore-based Xzodus, the representative office will oversee marketing outreach in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.
“We want to leverage Singapore Airlines’ new direct flights between Singapore and New York, and will also work with other carriers like Eva Air, Philippine Airlines, Qantas and British Airways, as well as the travel trade, to develop the markets,” shared Xzodus’ director Ee Lian Lee.
Lee explained: “We see a lot of potential in the Philippines and Indonesia because of their (economies’) growing affluence and large population sizes.”
One of the campaigns for the region is 2019, A Monumental Year, which spotlights a full slate of upcoming developments to be opened next year in the city.
These include large-scale projects such as Hudson Yards in Manhattan; The Shed, a multi-arts centre; Vessel, a visionary urban landmark; the new Statue of Liberty Museum; as well as renovation and expansion of the Museum of Modern Art.The campaign will also highlight recently opened or upgraded attractions in New York, such as Domino Park, Luna Park Coney Island and the Seaport District NYC’s Pier 17.
Accompanying these developments is a schedule of hotel openings – with debuting names such as Marriott’s The Times Square Edition and Six Senses – that will contribute to a forecasted 140,000 hotel rooms by the end of 2021, from 117,500 today.
Addressing concerns that the global image of the US may have affected tourism arrivals to the country, NYC & Company’s senior vice president, global communications, Christopher Heywood, revealed: “It’s something we have definitely had to weather over the last couple of years.
“After inauguration last year, we spent a lot of time going around the world and reinforcing our diversity, welcoming spirit and inclusivity, and reminding the world that New York welcomes people from all walks of life.”
Heywood expressed confidence in “all this new airlift coming from this region”, citing Singapore Airlines’ direct flights, as well as Philippine Airlines’ upcoming Manila-JFK route that will begin operations on October 29.
New York registered approximately 227,000 visitors from South-east Asia last year – a reported 58 per cent growth from 2011 numbers – with the largest volume at 63,000 coming from the Philippines.
