New Yorkers Urged To Be Tourists in the City

Mayor Bloomberg announced a program to increase Staten Island tourism yesterday, an initiative that will kick off a larger, citywide project encouraging New Yorkers to take vacations within the city.

The centerpiece of the Staten Island push will be a new, daily Gray Line "hop-on, hop-off" bus tour through Staten Island, launching July 14. It will take tourists through sites such as the Staten Island Zoo and Fort Wadsworth.

Gray Line does not currently service the borough.

"Millions of tourists already ride the free ferry each year, but most stop short of actually getting out of the terminal and exploring the borough," Mr. Bloomberg said at a news conference.

The larger program for intracity tourism, spearheaded by the city's marketing and tourism arm, NYC & Company, will be called "Go Local," and will include more than 200 summer discounts at restaurants, at shops, and on tours throughout the five boroughs.

"With gas prices driving up the cost of air travel and driving, there's never been a better time to go local and vacation right here in the Big Apple," Mr. Bloomberg said.