New York City’s authentic culture is unravelled in a new global tourism campaign

‘True York City’, NYC & Company’s new global tourism campaign is aiming to inspire travellers to explore deep into the Big Apple’s core (pun intended).

The campaign is showcasing the unique culture of New York city from the iconic experiences the city is well known for, to the lesser-known aspects that can not be found anywhere else in the world.

“When people think New York City, they think authenticity,” said NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“As the safest and most dynamic big city in America, we have endless cultural offerings that continue to make the five boroughs a global draw for tourists.”

“But now with ‘True York City,’ we can give those travellers an even more genuine, bona fide New York City experience while helping our businesses and communities thrive at the same time.”

Campaign artwork depicts the phrase “Famous Original New York City,” a tongue-in-cheek toast to the City, with typography using a sampling of NYC visuals from past and present as an art form.

Graphics include an apple, five noise lines to represent the boroughs and the lively, energetic sound of NYC, and a heart, in homage to the love for NYC so widely shared around the world as well as to the iconic “I Love NY” logo, which debuted 40 years ago.

The hashtag #TrueYorkCity serves as a call to action on advertisements for audiences both local and from away to share their “True York City.”

“Over the last decade, New York City has grown into one of the world’s most exciting and popular destinations, as evidenced by our record number of tourism-related jobs, almost double the number of international visitors and unprecedented economic impact, now the largest in the US; but we ask ourselves, where do we go from here?” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company.

“The answer is we go deeper by enticing tourists to become travellers. With ‘True York City,’ we celebrate the fact that we are the world’s greatest creator and exporter of culture, and invite travellers who seek authentic experiences and appreciate the ‘local,’ from arts, design and retail to culture and cuisine.

“These travellers tend to stay longer and return often to explore both our iconic sights and our neighbourhood gems—likely to be small businesses, locally owned and operated.

“The more integrated into the local culture the visitor becomes, the more positive the impact on the City and its residents.”

“True York City” is NYC & Company’s biggest campaign to date, with media and partnerships running across 17 countries, and In-kind, partner and paid media contributing to an approximate value of US$15.6 million* globally.

“For a city that can’t be defined by one single statement, one simple logo or a single spokesperson, ‘True York City’ is a platform to remind the world why we love our home,” said Elan Cole, creative director of NYC & Company.

“NYC is the most creative place on the planet, and we want to give the artists, designers, dancers, chefs, filmmakers, bartenders and writers the opportunity to speak to the rest of the world about why they love NYC through their chosen mediums.”

It’s not just us that heart NYC, but people worldwide are racing to the city of excitement.

Last year, New York City’s travel and tourism sector saw a record-breaking year, with 60.5 million visitors and US$43 billion in direct spending, the largest economic impact of any US destination.