Boarding.no : NYC & Company opened office in Stockholm

As part of an ambitious campaign to expand its global network and boost international travel to New York City, - NYC & Company today formally opened its new office in Stockholm, Sweden. The new location, which serves Finland and the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, is among the latest of the organization's 11 international offices to open.

Source: NYC & Company

The opening also comes on the eve of the Swedish International Travel & Tourism Trade Fair (TUR), the leading travel and tourism trade fair for Scandinavia, held March 22 to 25, in Göteborg, Sweden. This year marks the first time NYC & Company will host a booth at the fair, further signaling its commitment to market New York City firsthand to international visitors. All told, TUR will feature exhibits by representatives from more than 90 countries.

“There is no better time for travelers from Finland and Scandinavia to visit New York City,” said Fred Dixon, NYC & Company Vice President of Tourism Development. “It is one of the safest cities, a dynamic and multicultural destination that continues to be the shopping and arts capital of the world.” Mr. Dixon traveled abroad this week to celebrate the launch with an opening event in Stockholm on Tuesday, March 20.

NYC & Company has contracted Aviareps Mangum, a noted tourism and airline marketing firm, to represent the city in Scandinavia. Johnny Gardsäter, a well-respected leader within the Nordic and European travel trade, will serve as general manager. He will be supported by tourism manager Karl Byström and account executive Lina Jönsson. The office, at Riddargatan 17, Stockholm, Scandinavia 114 57, is in a popular district of the city called Östermalm (telephone number, + 46 - 8 - 54 52 59 30).

The overseas expansion is part of NYC & Company’s plan to achieve Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s goal of attracting 50 million visitors annually by 2015. The newly combined tourism, events and marketing organization now has 11 offices serving 19 countries, with locations in Mexico, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Russia as well as one in Amsterdam, serving the Benelux countries of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

New York City welcomes more overseas visitors than any other destination in the United States, with a 27% market share and more flights from Europe than any other market.

Travel from Sweden to New York City reached 131,000 visitors in 2005, double the prior year's arrivals. And, travel from the remainder of the region added another 145,000 visitors. It is also known that New York City garners a 45% share of all Swedish travel, a number that closely mirrors the larger, combined regional market. This represents a significant increase over past years, when the Swedish market share ran closer to 25 or 30%. In general, visitors from Finland and Scandinavia stay an average of 5.5 nights and primarily take advantage of the city's shopping and restaurants.

The growth in travel from Finland and Scandinavia reflects the overall trend in New York City’s travel and tourism industry. The number of visitors to the city has steadily increased since 2002, and is projected to hit a record 44 million visitors in 2006.

With forecasts calling for the growth to continue, businesses and the arts community citywide are preparing to embrace the rising number of travelers. In the short term, the hotel industry plans to add 4,900 new rooms by the end of 2007. The meetings and convention industry, meanwhile, has rallied behind an expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Museums and other cultural organizations are also on schedule to complete expansions—such as the new Greek and Roman galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art—and to display new exhibits and perform new works in every discipline.