New York City Launches New 'Get Local NYC' Campaign, Inviting Visitors to Explore All Five Boroughs Like a New Yorker

March 30, 2022

Campaign Launching Today Includes Five-Borough Neighborhood Advertisements Encouraging Visitors to 'Brooklyn Like a New Yorker,' 'Bronx Like a New Yorker,' 'Manhattan Like a New Yorker,' 'Staten Island Like a New Yorker,' and 'Queens Like a New Yorker'

Effort Includes Marketing Promotion and Global Publicity Effort, Including Release of Five Distinct Borough Travel Guides, Beginning Today With Brooklyn

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the launch of 'Get Local NYC' — a new five-borough tourism marketing campaign, led by NYC & Company — that will encourage visitors to explore all of New York City and support small businesses as the city emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and the tourism industry begins its rebound. The announcement comes as Mayor Adams addresses NYC & Company's membership at its first annual meeting held in three years at the Javits Center and as tourism levels in the city are expected to return to 85 percent of 2019 levels by year's end.

'Get Local NYC' is part of Mayor Adams' "Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City's Economic Recovery." The campaign is just one key effort of the mayor's commitment to the tourism industry, supporting the expansion of the "It's Time for New York City" marketing campaign to encourage visitors to return to New York City and to rebuild and strengthen tourism and hospitality businesses across all five boroughs.

"My administration is laser-focused on driving tourism in this city and letting the world know that New York City is back," said Mayor Adams. "Our hospitality and tourism industry have long been an engine of economic prosperity that impacts all New Yorkers. This campaign will highlight so many of the incredibly special small and minority-owned businesses in all five boroughs. While New Yorkers know where to find the best bagel or slice of pizza, see the best street art or artists, tourists are not so lucky. This guide will give an inside view to visitors, both near and far, and we can't wait to welcome them."

"Driving our city's economic recovery includes reestablishing New York as the number one global tourism destination and the world's second home," said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres Springer. "And we're not satisfied with simply returning to pre-pandemic levels of tourism — we are working to exceed those numbers starting in 2024. Importantly, we are focusing our efforts on getting people out to attractions in every borough, making sure New Yorkers, in all communities, benefit from the jobs and economic investment that tourism brings."

"We are pleased to join Mayor Adams to launch this comprehensive borough-wide initiative that will encourage visitors to 'New York City Like a New Yorker,'" said NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon. "We're confident that the 'Get Local NYC' campaign will encourage deeper exploration throughout the city's diverse neighborhoods, supporting small businesses and spotlighting authentic communities, as New York City emerges from the pandemic."

The new 'Get Local NYC' campaign will ask visitors to 'Bronx Like a New Yorker,' 'Brooklyn Like a New Yorker,' 'Manhattan Like a New Yorker,' 'Queens Like a New Yorker,' and 'Staten Island Like a New Yorker.' 'Get Local NYC' ads — created by NYC & Company — will appear digitally in regional and national markets, including Boston, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco/Oakland, and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. Borough-specific guides with photo galleries, videos, itineraries, events, and venues will also be available on the city's official tourism website.

The campaign will be promoted on the homepage of nycgo.com and will include relevant content from NYC & Company's multicultural content hubs, and will also be promoted locally through LinkNYC screens and Taxi TV, as well as via social media using the hashtag #GetLocalNYC. A publicity campaign featuring individual borough travel itineraries will target travel journalists globally through NYC & Company's international representative offices across five continents with Brooklyn launching today and the others launching later this spring and summer. Travel agent training will also be incorporated as part of the new 'Get Local NYC' effort.

In addition to the borough taglines, NYC & Company's creative team has built-in additional taglines, including 'Chinatown Like a New Yorker,' 'Museum Like a New Yorker,' 'San Gennaro Like a New Yorker,' 'Dance Till Dawn Like a New Yorker,' 'Art Gallery Like a New Yorker,' and 'New York City Like a New Yorker,' with more to follow, including dining and retail solutions to reflect New York City's vibrancy.

Creative Assets from the campaign can be found online. By downloading these assets, you are agreeing to the following terms:

NYC & Company is granting you permission for press use only. Any use of the provided Media Assets, in whole or in part, other than for PRESS purposes, is prohibited (including, but not limited to, copying, distribution, or sale of these Media Assets). Please note that the Media Assets must not be used for commercial purposes or rebranded in any way without explicit permission from NYC & Company. NYC & Company is providing this to you without any representations as to rights and clearances with regard to third-party rights.

New York City's tourism forecast for 2022 is expected to reach 85 percent of 2019 levels (when New York City welcomed an all-time high of 66.6 million visitors), with 56.4 million visitors, including 48.4 million domestic and 8 million international visitors. Hotel occupancy climbed to 74.6 percent for the week ending March 19, recovering to 86 percent of 2019 benchmark levels, and hit 83 percent on Saturday evening, a clear sign that recovery is well underway.