‘Just Ask the Locals,' City Is Telling Tourists
Mayor Bloomberg is chastising the federal government for neglecting the money-generating business of tourism.
The mayor said tourists are being deterred from visiting America because it involves too much red tape and because surveys show they believe American immigration officials are "rude" and "disrespectful."
"This is one more of those things that is diminishing our competitive edge," Mr. Bloomberg said at John F. Kennedy International Airport yesterday. "Poor customer service is not what this country needs. We have to change this at the federal level, but we are not going to wait for Washington to act," he added.
Mr. Bloomberg said he's talked to both Secretary of State Rice and the Homeland Security chief, Michael Chertoff, about his concerns. He said the country needs to find a way to secure its borders without making it too difficult to travel to America.
To soften New York's gruff image, Mr. Bloomberg and NYC & Co., the city's marketing arm, yesterday unveiled a new campaign called "Just Ask the Locals."
The campaign includes billboards throughout the five boroughs featuring actor Robert DeNiro, a former Giants running back, Tiki Barber, and others celebrities. As part of the campaign, volunteers began fanning out yesterday to help tourists with questions and to give out cards with useful city factoids.
The new measures are not just about playing nice. Tourists pumped $24.7 billion into New York's economy in 2006. And while New York has seen an increased number of international tourists in the past few years, there are still fewer overseas travelers visiting the city than American visitors.
Mr. Bloomberg has set a goal of getting 50 million tourists to the city annually by 2015. To do that, the city has been advertising worldwide.
Yesterday, more than 40 international journalists were on hand for the mayor's announcement. They are being regaled this week with breakfast at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a tour of Brooklyn aboard a double-decker bus, and dinner at the Saul Restaurant in Brooklyn. Their flights and hotels were paid for by American Airlines, which donated advertising space to the campaign in its new JFK terminal.
