Tourist Echo: In the United States, New York is one of the favorite destinations of French tourists. Is this still true?
Nancy Mammana: The French market has always been very important for New York. And it’s more true than ever: France is our third source market, after the United Kingdom and Canada. In 2024, we expect 830,000 French. This is 9% more than in 2023 and, above all, it is higher than 2019 (820,000 French tourists, editor’s note). If they regain their breadth, some Asian markets could redefine their position in this ranking. However, whatever happens, France will remain in the top 5 source markets for New York.
How does the French visitor behave at the destination?
Nancy Mammana: Most French tourists come to New York with their families. This is a point in which we are interested. They stay 7.6 nights, and organize the trip 4 to 5 months before they leave. $2,000 is spent, on average, per person. The French are interested in historical sites, art galleries, cultural points of interest and shopping. In total, they spent 1.5 billion euros in 2023 in the city.
Have you implemented marketing levers to relaunch this market?
Nancy Mammana: New York has always been attractive to French tourists, so the flow has naturally started again. In fact, France was targeted by our campaign that was launched at the end of the pandemic and was called It’s New York time. But this resume is above the result of the work done for more than ten years now by Article Onze. In addition, when we started our promotional activities in the spring of 2022, France was one of the first destinations we visited. This shows how important the French market is for New York.
How do you plan to attract more French people?
Nancy Mammana: We hope to welcome 922,000 from 2025. To achieve this, we rely above all on a generous air offer: Air France, Norse, La Compagnie, United, Frenchbee… It is also possible New To reach York via Lisbon or Rome to reduce the costs. In addition, we implement an order Winter Tour which, thanks to a partnership established with hotels, restaurants and day-trippers, allows you to discover New York at a lower cost between January and March. For example, in approximately twenty Broadway shows, one ticket purchased equals one ticket offered during that period. These types of activities are growth engines for our destination.
What events mark New York’s tourist calendar?
Nancy Mammana: 2025 will be the year of New York’s 400th anniversary. In fact, we will emphasize the history of the city, which begins long before the arrival of the Europeans. We will emphasize the influence that New York had on the much younger United States, and even on the whole world. So the program of concerts will be of interest to history buffs, but not only. This event will be the subject of a special campaign called Based in New York and which lasts over two years. All our communications aimed at travel agents are already in the colors of this event.
Is New York still oversold by travel agencies?
Nancy Mammana : According to our survey*, more than two thirds of French tourists use group services to organize their trip to New York. It is a famous destination but requires a certain level of expertise. Our e-learning program Travel Trade Academyavailable in French, allowing you to obtain a “Destination Expert” certificate.
* US Department of Commerce / NTTO (2023) / TravelPort (2023)
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2024-10-25 11:14:00
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