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Last Updated: Dec 29, 2011 - 2:18:31 AM |
NEW
YORK, NY - Deputy New York City Mayor Dennis Walcott
believes Caribbean-related visitor arrivals to the United States remain
an important market which can positively impact the coffers of New York
City.
Walcott,
who serves as the Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development
in the Bloomberg administration, told AmNews that while the City hopes
to attract 50 million visitors by 2012, tourism stakeholders should
aggressively tap Caribbean nationals who travel to the New York from the
Caribbean, Canada as well as from across the United States.
"For
decades, Caribbean nationals have made a positive impact on the world
stage, they are upwardly mobile people, and they bring significant
economic value to New York City when they travel here," said Walcott,
who traces his roots to Barbados and St. Croix.
"There
is phenomenally strong airlift from all corners of the Caribbean to
New York, and nationals continue to be attracted to our efficient
business culture, diverse shopping, culinary and cultural experiences,
and of course to visit loved ones. In so doing, they inject millions of
dollars into the local economy," Walcott declared.
As
examples of the region's direct effect, the deputy mayor pointed to
the Caribbean American Heritage Month celebrations, the Puerto Rican
Day Parade, and the massive West Indian American Day Labor Day Parade
as a few of the events which boost city revenues.
This
week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg got a break from the "blizzard bashing"
to announce that New York City drew a record-breaking 48.7 million
visitors in 2010, a higher-than-projected 6.8 percent increase over
2009.
In
addition, the hospitality industry added 6,600 jobs over the past
year, employing more New Yorkers in 2010 than ever before. In 2010, New
York City also set a record for hotel rooms added and hotel rooms
sold, while attendance at cultural institutions rose.
"This
past year was New York City's most successful year for tourism ever
... the strength of our tourism industry is one of the reasons New York
City was less impacted by the national recession than other cities,
and it continues to be one of the reasons we're growing faster than
other cities today. The industry employed more New Yorkers in 2010 than
ever before, and the US $31 billion visitors spent this year supported
our restaurants, shops, hotels and cultural institutions," Bloomberg
said.
New York City registered 39 million visitors from the U.S. and 9.7 million from abroad - both records.
"New
York City's banner year for tourism is due in no small part to
Brooklyn's own success as the destination of choice for millions of
visitors from across the globe," quipped Brooklyn Borough President
Marty Markowitz.
"Brooklyn
is proud (to) host everyone from everywhere, with our unique cultural
attractions, hot music scene, historic, hip and diverse neighborhoods,
boutique and budget-minded hotels, amazing restaurants, great shopping
and, of course, world-class wonders like Prospect Park, Coney Island
and the spectacular new Brooklyn Bridge Park. I like to say that
Brooklyn has it all, but if visitors want to take a day trip to
Manhattan, that's ok, too - and judging by these record numbers, a lot
of them do!"
"Many
people do not realize how important tourism is to New York City," said
NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. "Every visitor to our city
helps support our hotels, restaurants, stores and attractions and, most
importantly, they help stabilize and grow our workforce. NYC &
Company is very proud of our contributions to the tourism effort of the
past year and we are dedicated to maintaining this momentum and reach
our 2012 goal."
NYC
& Company is the official marketing, tourism and partnership
organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel
and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs. Under the
Bloomberg Administration, NYC & Company has been transformed into a
high-performing marketing group with global reach. The organization now
has 18 offices serving 25 markets in North America, South America,
Europe, Asia and Australia.
© Copyright 2011 by thebahamasweekly.com
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