LITTLE ITALY — They’re putting Chinatown and Little Italy back on the map.
A coalition of neighborhood groups kicked off a marketing campaign Wednesday to help promote the cultural cachet of both historic Downtown neighborhoods.
The effort, led by the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, Little Italy Merchants Association and Chinatown Partnership, is aimed at encouraging more visitors to explore the area and try to capture the hordes of people expected to visit the 9/11 memorial a short walk away.
To draw attention to the neighborhoods, the group recently printed up 25,000 brochures that include the area's cultural attractions, shopping and dining destinations, and a map highlighting points of interest from East Houston Street down to Worth Street.
Thousands of the brochures were sent to NYC & Company, the city’s official tourism agency, as well as shops and hotels throughout the area. The group also plans to hand the guides out near the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
“We are kind of like a bridge bringing the two neighborhoods together to promote joint ventures,” said Victor Papa, president of the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, adding that both areas have suffered economic hardships in the years since 9/11.
The push comes after the coalition unveiled a survey earlier this year showing that most tourists had difficulty navigating the two neighborhoods, citing the confusion experienced when visiting an informational kiosk on Canal Street.
In response, the group created its own neighborhood guide, funded by local merchants and other organizations included in the brochure.
The guides will eventually be reprinted to feature a rotating selection of landmarks on the cover, including Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Mulberry Street and the On Leong Tong/Chinese Merchants Building on Mott Street.
The coalition has also applied with the Department of Buildings to hang 40 large “trailblazing banners” in the neighborhoods to help advertise the district, as well in the Civic Center area and eventually lower Manhattan.
The group has so far failed to secure funding from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to help with the effort, but they called the new marketing materials a good first step in helping Chinatown and Little Italy reach a whole new audience.
“This is a way of connecting the past and present,” said urban planner Robert Weber, a consultant for the coalition, “and bringing the past back to life.”
