—NYC's Tourism and Convention Organization Attends IMM Asia, ITB Asia and MICE Show Asia in Singapore This Week—

 —City's Diversity and Inclusivity Celebrated with Multicultural Content Including Recently-Launched Halal Travel Guide—

Singapore (19 October 2022) – NYC & Company, New York City's official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau, returns to Singapore this week to attend ITB Asia, Asia's Leading Travel Trade Show, and MICE Show Asia, Asia's premier MICE show, following IMM Asia, TravMedia's Leading Media Networking Event. The New York City delegation, led by NYC & Company's Makiko Matsuda Healy, Managing Director, Tourism Market Development; Jerry Cito, Executive Vice President, Convention Development; and Watson Li, Regional Director, International MICE, APAC, Africa & Middle East, will reunite with travel agents, tour operators, meeting planners and media from throughout the Southeast Asia region. This follows the recent re-establishment of NYC & Company's representative office in Southeast Asia as New York City expects to welcome 56.7 million visitors in 2022, recovering 85 percent of record 2019 visitation. International travel to the destination is expected to triple this year, with an anticipated 8.3 million visitors. Throughout the week, NYC & Company will spotlight destination updates, trade and MICE resources, and celebrate the City's diversity with multicultural platforms including the recently released Halal Travel Guide, as the destination welcomes Asian visitors this year and beyond.

More information can be found below:

Travel Trade Updates

“NYC & Company is delighted to return to Southeast Asia this week. With a population of over 683 million and a fast recovering economy, the region represents a great growth potential for international tourism. Looking forward to 2023, it is vital for us to re-engage with these important travel trade audiences,” said Makiko Matsuda Healy. “While at ITB Asia, we are proud to introduce New York City's new Halal Travel Guide to this important region, which is home to one of the world's largest Muslim populations.”

NYC & Company partners attending ITB Asia this week include Disney on Broadway, Hudson Yards, New York Hilton Midtown, Springhill Suites & Fairfield Inn Times Square and SUMMIT One Vanderbilt.

NYC travel trade resources can be found at nycgo.com/TravelTrade.

Meetings and Conventions Updates

“In the last year, New York City has seen the addition of more world-class hotels and event venues, as well as major infrastructure investments at our airports that will support rebounding travel,” said Jerry Cito. “And, as bookings continue to trend upward, we are ready with robust offerings across Broadway, attractions and museums throughout the five boroughs. Asia continues to be a growth market, and we are pleased to be back in Singapore reminding planners at MICE Show Asia that It's Time to Make it NYC.”

Strong demand for meetings, conventions and events continues with an anticipated 800,000 group room nights booked through the end of 2022; and the Javits convention center is experiencing a resurgence of events with a 14 percent increase in bookings from September through December, over the same period last year.

NYC meeting planning resources can be found at nycgo.com/MakeItNYC. 

Halal Travel Guide

The Muslim community has been an integral part of the fabric of New York City for nearly 400 years, with more than 275 mosques across all five boroughs—more than any other metro area in the United States.

NYC & Company is the first US tourism organization to launch a Halal Travel Guide for Muslim visitors. Launched earlier this year, the evergreen guide spotlights and encourages visitation to the rich abundance of halal restaurants, Muslim history and art exhibitions across New York City's five boroughs, and shares tips and advice from Muslim travel experts. It includes prayer places and the distance/time from the featured attractions, restaurants, and hotels.

The guide was created by NYC & Company, in partnership with Singapore-based halal-friendly travel authority Halal Trip/Crescent Rating.

The NYC Halal Travel Guide can be found at nycgo.com/HalalTravelGuide and in PDF form.  

NYC Destination Highlights

New York City is currently home to 124,000 hotel rooms, with more than 10,000 additional rooms expect to open in the next two years. Notable highlights include the recent opening of Aman New York and Hard Rock Hotel New York, as well as the City's second Ritz-Carlton. One of NYC's largest hotels, the New York Marriott Marquis, recently debuted a multi-million-dollar renovation featuring more than 110,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Additional destination updates include 19 new Broadway shows debuting this autumn; developments across infrastructure and transportation including upgrades across the region's three major airports; new and improved meeting space including the $1.5 billion, 1.2 million-square-foot expansion of the Javits Center and the newest etc.venues location at 810 Seventh Avenue, among others; arts and culture including the soon-to-open Museum of Broadway, The Louis Armstrong Center and the American Museum of Natural History's Gilder Center; performing arts venues such as Lincoln Center's reimagined David Geffen Hall which just opened and the iconic Apollo Theater expansion in early 2023; culinary highlights from new fine dining establishments to unique food halls across the five boroughs; retail including the renovated Tiffany & Co. Flagship on Fifth Avenue, the brand-new Hermès Flagship on Madison Avenue and the return of Century 21; and more.

Additional NYC Resources

• What's New and Upcoming in New York City guide.
• Get Local NYC guides to visiting The Bronx; Brooklyn; Queens; Manhattan and Staten Island like a New Yorker.
• 2022-2023 Holiday Events and Activities press release.
• The Black Experience in NYC, The Latino Experience in NYC and The Asian Experience in NYC multicultural content platforms.

For more on all there is to see and do in New York City's five boroughs, visit nycgo.com.

About NYC & Company:

NYC & Company is the official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City worldwide. For all there is to do and see in New York City, visit nycgo.com.