Mayor Bill de Blasio Announces NYC’s New Family Ambassador

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYC & Company, and Nickelodeon have announced that Dora the Explorer will be the city’s seventh Official Family Ambassador.  

Over the past five years, New York City family tourism has increased by 30 percent, with nearly 17 million families visiting the city last year. The yearlong campaign aims to entice international and out-of-state families to visit New York’s five boroughs by stressing the city’s family-friendly tourist activities and attractions. 

The Official Family Ambassador Program will also feature trip ideas in both English and Spanish, allowing bilingual parents and children to better access travel guides, itineraries, and destinations around New York.

“I am very excited to have Dora as our official embajadora to show families from across the globe the countless recreational and cultural riches of the five boroughs,” said Mayor de Blasio in a written release. In 2013, an estimated 14 percent of visiting families spoke Spanish as their native language, and that number is only increasing. The city’s program aims to draw in a diverse and bilingual demographic through its ambassador, Dora, a character popular in nearly 150 countries. 

In addition to social media posts, TV ads, and membership support, the campaign will also be distributing a new Explore NYC with Dora activity book to families staying at select New York hotels this summer. 


For more information on the Dora Family Ambassador campaign and bilingual, family-friendly NYC travel guides, visit nycgo.com/family.