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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2002
PR-192-02
www.nyc.gov


MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ACCEPTS TRAVEL + LEISURE AWARD FOR "BEST NORTH AMERICAN CITY" ON BEHALF OF NEW YORK


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today accepted Travel + Leisure magazine's award for "World's Best North American City" on behalf of the people of New York City. This is the second consecutive year New York has received the honor in Travel + Leisure's annual World's Best Awards readers' survey. The top winners in all categories of this year's World's Best Awards will be honored at a presentation ceremony on Thursday, July 18th at the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York City.

"We are pleased that Travel + Leisure is honoring New York City with its World's Best Award for the second year in a row," said Mayor Bloomberg. "I want to thank Travel + Leisure for this prestigious award, which reaffirms what we all know to be true - that New York City is open for business and ready to welcome the world's travelers with the best hotels, food, culture, arts and shopping on the planet."

"I look forward to our World's Best Awards to see what Travel + Leisure readers, the most sophisticated travelers in the world, have selected based on their journeys and travel experiences," said Travel + Leisure Editor-in-Chief Nancy Novogrod. "This year was especially poignant for me, a native New Yorker, when New York City was selected World's Best City in North America for the second year. With winners from all over the globe, it is clear that travel remains a vital part of our lives as we continue to search out new and different experiences."

Of the six categories that readers used to rate the World's Best cities in North America, New York City ranked number one in "shopping" and "culture/arts," was a leading contender in "restaurants/food" (final results to be released in the November Travel + Leisure) and ranked number two in "sites." In the remaining two categories, the city showed marked improvement, moving from number 34 to 22 in "value" and from number 40 to 30 in "people."

"The fact that Travel + Leisure readers chose New York City as their favorite domestic destination for the second time in a row is particularly gratifying," said Cristyne L. Nicholas, President & CEO of NYC & Company, the city's official tourism and marketing organization. "There's no better place to visit than where the world lives - New York City."

New York beat out second-place city San Francisco, third-place Vancouver, BC, fourth-place Chicago and fifth-place Santa Fe for top honors in North America. In the list of World's Best Cities around the globe, New York City ranked #5 and was one of only two U.S. cities in the top ten (number six was San Francisco). Additionally, New York City is home to more of the World's Best hotels than any other city with nine hotels in the Top 100 in the world.

 

www.nyc.gov

Contact: Edward Skyler / Jennifer Falk
(212) 788-2958
Elisa Shevitz (Travel + Leisure)
(212) 382-5679