City's tourism wing heads to Europe to promote outer-boro destinations
The Cloisters museum and gardens are in Fort Tryon Park of Washington Heights. Credit: The Cloisters museum and gardens are in Fort Tryon Park of Washington Heights.
The city will be hitting the streets of Europe big time to lure visitors to check out diamonds hidden inside New York.
Members of NYC & Company, the city's tourism wing, will attend the ITB international trade fair in Berlin next week to pitch its new plan to promote the Big Apple's smaller attractions for visitors.
Kimberly Spell, a spokeswoman for NYC & Company, said Europeans are not only flocking to the city in greater numbers, but also making return visits, so it was the perfect place to launch their promotion.
"We want repeat visitors to go to places that they haven't been before. If we don't show them the ever changing New York, they will head to other destinations," she said.
During NYC & Company's annual meeting with travel-related businesses last week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he wanted to showcase spots such as Jackson Heights, Forest Hills, Washington Heights, Fort Greene and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.
Spell said those areas not only had good public transportation, but also had many features that would attract tourists like restaurants, stores and historical sites.
"We want people to spend the whole day there, not just part of a day," she said.
Last year, the city had a record 52 million tourists.
