City Guide News

The rollout of the Spring 2025 season presents a timely opportunity to discuss tourism marketing strategies for new musicals. Everyone knows tourists generate two-thirds of all Broadway sales, with post-arrival tourists purchasing 20% of all tickets—approximately $300 million in revenue. This in-market segment (domestic + international) is larger than the suburban and roughly the same size as the New York City residents audience. These tourist ticket buyers represent an especially lucrative segment because they fill

I recently spoke with a senior experience executive about advertising, and she said something that stuck with me: “We have no choice but to focus on conversions to make our numbers.” This mindset—driven by the need to demonstrate short-term results—has taken over not just the tourism and experience industry in NYC but marketing as a whole. (See references below.) Business owners, Broadway producers, and senior executives should regularly evaluate whether allocating more marketing resources to

Much has been written recently about tourists coming back to Broadway. Last year 30% of domestic and 40% of international tourists made their purchase decision after they arrived in NYC (source: BL demographic study), which generated approximately $300M or 20% of all tickets sold. These visitors (a larger population than the suburban market) represent a show’s best opportunity to incrementally grow their market share. The good news is these buyers are easy to identify and

Welcome to the first Theater Tourism Talks for 2025. Let’s take a look back at 2024. The Broadway League’s Demographic Study revealed something concerning: while total ticket sales and per-ticket prices held steady year over year, the number of unique theatergoers dropped by 330,000. That’s the equivalent of losing the entire population of Orlando in just one year. This happened during a time when global spending on experiences is estimated at one trillion dollars (according

The 2024 NYC tourism year might best be described as a time of adaptation to disruptions. The industry is learning to respond to rapid shifts in consumer behavior, a trend that began as “revenge travel” subsided and has since evolved into inflation-influenced spending patterns. For example, Booking.com recently reported that travelers are booking trips with shorter lead times, indicating a growing tendency to delay vacation planning. Below are some observations from 2024:   High Hotel

For tourism marketers, the goal is for advance tickets to sell out every day. However, conversations with Broadway producers, attraction managers, and restaurateurs reveal that pre-sales are presently falling short of expectations. This reality demands adaptable marketing strategies. City Guide Reaches In-Market Tourists City Guide reaches over 7 million readers annually who are actively planning activities and rely on our content. Industry data shows 82% of magazine readers trust the information they read. Our platforms

August 2024 marked a notable loss for NYC media as WCBS News Radio 880, a long-standing institution, ceased operations. In today’s media environment, consumers have a plethora of options to access the information and knowledge they seek. Naturally, they gravitate toward platforms that align with their interests and lifestyle. As a result, few broad market platforms exist and marketers need to cobble together a mix of outlets to effectively reach their desired audience to drive

Tourists Love Maps. We hear that again and again from concierges and tourists. The 2024 Concierge Survey reports that approximately 60% of guests who come to the concierge desk walk away with a map. Let’s explore why.   Why Maps are Still in Demand Physical maps put Manhattan in perspective in a way no other media can. In one single visual vehicle, out-of-towners—both first-time visitors and repeaters—get a sense of neighborhoods, locations of key destinations,

Tourists Want to Be Educated   The majority of tourists, over 80%, travel to NYC without having planned every activity on their itinerary. They arrive seeking information that will help them determine how they will create their ideal vacation. Therefore, you should approach in-market tourists with the goal to educate them on how you enhance their trip better than the plethora of alternatives.   Today’s tourists evaluate experiences more critically than ever before. They want