New York City and Cape Town will now work together to boost travel between the two cities. The agreement was signed by NYC & Company, the city’s official marketing organization, and Cape Town Tourism.
This is the first city-to-city tourism partnership agreement NYC & Company has signed with a destination marketing organization on the African continent.
NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon and Cape Town Tourism’s CEO Enver Duminy signed the tourism partnership agreement this week in New York City. The two-year alliance includes a collaboration agreement between the two destination marketing organizations, the sharing of best practices in tourism marketing and the exchange of marketing assets to boost reciprocal travel.
In New York City, advertisements will appear on bus stop shelters and LinkNYC kiosks to promote the South African city. According to a press release, it’s expected these ads will reach 17.6 million in media impressions. In Cape Town, an equivalent value of New York City advertisements will be featured through digital and out-of-home media, with specifics to be determined. Advertisements are expected to appear in early 2018.
As part of the agreement, New York City and Cape Town will share best practices in tourism management to increase the number of visitors between both markets in the years ahead. The two organizations will also work together on ways to increase travel between the cities through offers and incentives via third-party travel providers.
South Africa is the largest African origin market for visitors to New York City with nearly 50,000 travelers in 2015. The country accounts for a nearly 30 percent share of African visitors to New York City. The United States is currently Cape Town’s second largest international source market. In 2015, 30 percent of arrivals to Cape Town from the US originated at or traveled via New York City airports.
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