FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR- 407-09 September 15, 2009 MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND LONDON MAYOR JOHNSON SIGN TOURISM AGREEMENT TO BOOST TRAVEL BETWEEN NEW YORK CITY AND LONDON Two-Year Agreement Includes Advertising Exchange, Sharing of Best Practices and Assistance on Publicity Events Promoting Targeted Sectors Like Tourism to Diversify New York City's Economy is Part of the Bloomberg Administration's Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and London Mayor Boris Johnson today announced a two-year tourism agreement between New York City and London to boost travel between the two cities. The cities will provide each other with outdoor media advertising space, and NYC & Company and Visit London – their respective tourism arms – will share best practices as a way to maximize travel between the two destinations and will assist each other with at least one publicity event in each city. The Mayors made the announcement during an international conference sponsored by the Manhattan Institute and Regional Plan Association at Columbia University where they met to discuss their financial sectors, the diversification of their economies, building and maintaining their capital plants and expanding housing affordability. NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta, Visit London CEO Sally Chatterjee and Columbia University President Lee Bollinger joined the Mayors for the announcement. “Now more than ever – as we work to limit the effects of the ongoing global financial downturn – it is important to find new ways to grow a diverse array of economic sectors, and tourism is among the most important for New York City,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “New York City and London – both significant sources of overseas travel for each market – can learn a great deal from one other and we will work together to highlight each other’s strengths and remain leading global cities.” “London and New York City share many similarities, including a strong sense of optimism and determination, along with a great appreciation for diversity and innovation,” said Mayor Johnson. “Our common cultural ties, not least absolute dedication to providing world-class services and experiences for both residents and visitors, make the two cities exceptionally well poised to combine knowledge as well as resources to impact the economies and future of the cities.” “Tourism will undoubtedly be one of the industries that helps aid our local economy through the recovery from the recession, and we are working harder than ever to promote it,” said George Fertitta. “Through this agreement between NYC & Company and Visit London we are declaring not only a commitment to driving travel between London and NYC but also a vow of the continued friendship between the two cities.” “As well as being large sources of overseas travel for each market, New York City and London are also each other’s biggest supporters,” said Visit London CEO Sally Chatterjee. “We look forward to working with NYC & Company and see both our organizations continuing to strive for best practice in our role as world-leading destinations. This is an exciting first step in what we expect to be a very fruitful partnership.” “I congratulate Mayor Bloomberg and Mayor Johnson for taking this important step to strengthen the ties between our cities, and we are proud they chose to make the announcement here at Columbia,” said Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. “As global capitals of business and finance, culture and ideas, New York and London are not only engines of a dynamic economy, they are also leaders in the search for solutions to many of the world’s most pressing problems. Great research universities are essential to the life of both these great cities. We look forward to greater collaborations as we strive to provide the intellectual capital that drives innovation in every field of human endeavor across the globe.” Under the two year tourism agreement New York City will exchange 71 bus shelters with London that will run in New York City for 4 weeks per year. In return, London will exchange 250 posters for four weeks on the London Underground system twice per year. The yearly value of each city’s media is $178,500. The agreement will be a 2 year deal – $357,000 to London and $357,000 back to NYC from London. Also as part of the agreement, NYC & Company and Visit London have agreed to share best practices in their endeavors to boost tourism, and to assist each other with at least one publicity event in their respective cities. Last year New York City welcomed a record 1,328,000 visitors from the UK, surpassing the record 1,237,000 visitors in 2007, making it the City’s number one source of international visitors. New York City is the number one destination for UK travelers to the US. Similarly, Americans made almost 2 million visits to London last year, and America remains London’s number one market for international visitors. The Bloomberg Administration’s Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan is a comprehensive strategy to bring New York City through the current economic downturn as fast as possible. It focuses on three major areas: creating jobs for New Yorkers today, implementing a long-term vision for growing the city’s economy, and building affordable, attractive neighborhoods in every borough. Taken together, the initiatives that the City has launched to achieve these goals will generate thousands of jobs and put New York City on a path to economic recovery and growth. To learn more about the plan, visit nyc.gov. Recent Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan announcements to diversify the economy include:
Other Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan announcements include:
MEDIA CONTACT: Stu Loeser/Andrew Brent (Mayor Bloomberg) (212) 788-2958 Rachelle Laurence (Mayor Johnson) + 44 20 7983 4599 Kimberly Spell/Emma Thomas (NYC & Company) (212) 484-1270 Ken Kelling/ Jacqueline French (Visit London) + 44 79 4121 8915 |
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