By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Apparently, what happens in New York doesn't stay in New York.
A new international marketing campaign by the Big Apple is selling the city as the anti-Las Vegas.
“What happens here is transformative. It stays with you forever," marketing director Jane Reiss said about a message that will say on television, in print and on billboards around the country and in Australia, Brazil and Europe.
The message, "See More, Be More," is part of the “This Is New York City” campaign that began three years ago, and is in direct counterpoint with Vegas’ popular saying, “What happens here, stays here.”
City officials are hoping the new tactic with help Mayor Michael Bloomberg achieve his goal of drawing 50 million tourists annually by 2013, despite the falling buying power of the euro, the New York Times reported.
Tourism dropped in 2009, but only after it broke records in 2008 as Europeans carrying strong currency splurged along Fifth Avenue and in the city’s best restaurants.
However, the euro rate doesn’t seem to have squashed the desire to visit the city. The number of visitors in 2010 could match the record 47 million who came in 2008, NYC & Company chief executive George Fertitta told the Times.
“May was like gangbusters,” Fertitta said.
PKF Consulting confirmed Fertitta’s opinion, reporting 90 percent hotel occupancy rate for May — possibly the highest ever for that month. That was at an average rate of $218 a room, the Times reported.
The revamped campaign may be worth even more — $30 million— because of a partnership with corporations like American Airlines, American Express and AT&T, that help promote travel to the city, Fertitta told the Times.
The campaign images mainly emphasize the city’s diversity, showcasing shots of cuisine and retail available from among the 2,000 members of NYC & Company, mixed with attractions such the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and Yankee Stadium.
