MONTREAL — New York City promises that 2019 will be ‘Monumental’ with a new goal from this market: one million Canadian visitors.

NYC & Company, the New York City tourism office, met with travel professionals in Montreal, including Travelweek’s sister publication ProfessionVoyages.com, earlier this week and yesterday in Toronto to announce the latest news.

If you think you already know everything there is to know about NYC, think again. “2019 will be a year that is M-O-N-U-M-E-N-T-A-L,” said an NYC & Company rep. “Something is happening all the time in New York, but 2019 will be an exceptional year because of the impressive number of new attractions and hotel openings. The city plans to inaugurate 23,000 new hotel rooms over the next 30 months, and for comparison, San Francisco has 30,000 in total. If you think you know New York, you will see a new city in 2019. It will be a record year from this point of view.”

New York City welcomed 970,000 Canadian visitors last year and the goal for 2019 is one million. “Thanks to this ‘monumental’ year, we think it’s possible!” says Reginald Charlot, director of tourism development for NYC & Company.

Reginald Charlot, Managing Director, Tourism Development, Established Markets for NYC & Company; Charmaine Singh, NYC rep in Canada and President & CEO of Reach Global Marketing; John A. Marshall, Director, Tourism Development, Established Markets for NYC & Company; and Kosta Tsimiklis, NYC & Company rep in Canada and Director at Reach Global Marketing

“It’s a big investment for the city and we’re going to invest in promotion in Canada. We are close to NYC but what will make 2019 a special year is that once and for all, Canada could overthrow the UK, which is in first place for the number of foreign visitors. But I cannot succeed alone, so I need your help,” adds Charmaine Singh, NYC Representative in Canada.

An NYC & Company rep says one of the city’s biggest challenges for the Canadian market is to encourage visits despite the unfavorable exchange rate for Canadians. That challenge is offset somewhat by the wealth of free activities and things to do in NYC’s five boroughs, he adds.

NYC & Company aims to finish 2018 with 65.1 million visitors overall (a 3.7% increase over 2017), including 51.4 million domestic visitors and 13.7 million foreign visitors.

Business travellers are still an important market for the city with 13 million business travellers coming to New York City in 2017.

Far from resting on its laurels, the city continues to innovate. Here’s a look at the major news coming up for 2018-2019, announced by NYC & Company…

HOTELS

The hotel portfolio of ongoing developments, renovations, restaurants and expansions continues to outpace U.S. growth. The current inventory in NYC stands at more than 117,300 rooms. By 2020, that will rise to 138,000. Already looking ahead through the end of 2018 into 2019, the city’s hospitality industry is planning for the addition of an estimated 12,000 rooms in new developments in all the boroughs. This includes the return of the iconic Chelsea Hotel and new brands like Equinox, Moxy, Pestana, Six Senses and Hyatt Centric.

TRANSPORT

• LaGuardia Airport will be completely redone with a brand new terminal. Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge is now renovated.
• JFK will inaugurate a new terminal complete with the new TWA Hotel, a luxury hotel with 512 ultra-modern rooms built into the original and iconic Trans World Flight Center, designed by Eero Saarinen and opened in 1962.
• Of note for visitors making the journey between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the ferry will increase its frequencies.

CULTURE AND ATTRACTIONS

• An expansion of the Museum of Modern Arts (MOMA) will make this landmark the world’s largest museum of modern art.
• World Pride will be held in New York in 2019 and is expected to attract between one and two million visitors.
• Picking up on the trend of escape games, a new museum has recently opened on the island of Manhattan: the Spyscape Museum.
• The Whitney Museum of American Art will host a massive Andy Warhol exhibition from Nov. 12, 2018 to March 31, 2019.
• The Broadway theatre scene is very popular with the Canadian market and almost all Canadian visitors see a show during their stay. In 2019, two big shows will make their debuts: Beetlejuice and Moulin Rouge. After a small decline in Canadian attendance at Broadway shows in 2017, this year has marked a new increase in numbers that NYC & Company expects to continue into 2019.

SHOPPING  

New York City’s first outlet shopping destination will open at the end of the year. Empire Outlets will be accessible via the free ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island. Covering 350,000 square feet, the retail complex will include 100 designer outlets.