How does one of the world’s most popular destinations maintain its iconic status among international visitors in an increasingly competitive global travel landscape? NYC Tourism + Conventions CEO Julie Coker says targeted storytelling is key to keeping New York City newsworthy, real and relevant with today’s travellers.
New York City needs little introduction: NYC is one of the world’s top tourism cities, welcoming 65 million visitors in 2025, a 98 per cent recovery on 2019 levels.
But NYC is not content to rely on its iconic status as the City That Never Sleeps stays focused on sustainable market share amid global competition and geopolitical tensions.
Last year, inbound travellers declined by three per cent. By mid-2026, NYC Tourism + Conventions forecasts 12.9 million international visitors, up from 12.5 million in 2025 but still below 2019’s 13.5 million.
International travellers contribute 50 per cent of visitor spend in NYC, despite comprising only 20 per cent of the total volume, making inbound visitation an important economic driver.
Despite domestic market growth in 2025, hotel occupancy was flat and attractions that rely heavily on international travellers, like the Empire State Building and Summit Big Red Bus, reported softening in international visitation.
NYC needs to sell a different story to stay top-of-mind in a competitive travel landscape, not only with domestic cities like Boston and LA, but international destinations such as London and Paris as well.
Aussies in NYC
Australia was one of the top 10 source markets with almost half a million Aussies (498,000) travelling to New York City and spending USD$1.1 billion (around AUD$1.5 billion) last year.
Today’s travellers want more out of the Big Apple than sightseeing as experiential travel increasingly takes centre stage.
New York City Tourism + Conventions President & CEO Julie Coker told Karryon that NYC is leveraging storytelling and diverse experiences to attract international visitors, particularly high-value Australian travellers who stay longer and spend more.
This includes using storytelling for dispersal in boroughs, such as locals sharing their favourite spots, enhancing the authenticity of the content.
NYC Tourism + Conventions is taking a targeted approach, focusing on four audience segments: The Freestylers, The Navigators, The Moment Makers and The Neighbours, and using the chatbot to tailor messaging about products and services to questions being asked.
“Obviously, we have no shortage of what’s new in New York City and no shortage of experiences,” Coker says.
“So, we’re really going to lean into the four audiences. These pillars are helping us prioritise what that particular audience or profile is looking for.
“When I think about our content and our creative, we are really leaning into authentic storytelling, and I think that is proving to be very successful for us.
“We’re finding that native Brooklynite to tell the story about their favourite nightclub or restaurant or where they get their coffee in the morning, and then we’re able to tell those neighbourhood stories.”
Coker says Australian travellers are categorised as Moment Makers and Freestylers who are high-income and experience-driven.
“What we’re seeing for our Australian travellers is that they’re falling into the two categories, The Moment Makers and The Freestylers,” she says.
“A lot of that is because they have such a long length of stay when they come, so they can do the iconics, whether it’s Times Square or Empire State Building, but then they also have the opportunity to go out to Staten Island or the Bronx and really absorb the culture that we have.
“As we look at marketing to that profile or that audience, we’re serving up the content that they’re looking for and making sure the traveller moves around all five boroughs and not just Manhattan.”
The data shows Aussies in the Freestyler category are slightly younger and budget-conscious, while 20 per cent of Australians are high-value Moment Makers.
“So that’s where they’ve got the opportunity to do both, they can try the food truck and also have the opportunity to do a Michelin-starred restaurant,” Coker says.
Investing in international markets
NYC Tourism + Conventions expects international visitation to reach 12.8 million in 2026, including 520,000 Aussies, exceeding 2024 levels but still below 2019’s record 699,000 arrivals.
“We are pretty bullish on international travel. We know that international visitors come to the destination, they stay longer, and they spend more,” Coker says.
“It’s really key for us, because even though the domestic visitation number may increase, the domestic visitor isn’t spending like an international visitor, so we’re still very much invested in the international markets.
“The United States has lost share compared to other international markets, so that is definitely on our mind, because we are so reliant on international visitation from an economic standpoint.
“Most importantly, we need to make sure that we’re still competitive globally, so the same energy and enthusiasm that international travellers had and desire to come to New York City is definitely top of mind for us,” she says.
Future-proofing NYC tourism
Coker says NYC Tourism + Conventions will focus on maintaining market share in 2026 as it navigates factors such as travel costs, visa wait times, geopolitical tensions and overall sentiment.
“If I look at the overall international visitor sentiment towards travelling to the US as it has fluctuated throughout the year, it isn’t growth right now, it’s sustainability,” she says.
“We want to maintain our market share, and then possibly in ‘27 and beyond, we would hope that there’s some stabilisation and less uncertainty, so that we can go back to a growth phase.”
Advisors can stay updated on all things NYC via Travel Trade Academy – a comprehensive content hub with resources, including a refreshed NYC on a Budget hub, and a chatbot in more than 60 languages.
“We keep that content fresh, we’re constantly updating that to make sure that it’s the latest and greatest, and so that’s a good refresher, even for travel advisors who have been selling New York City forever, that’s always a good reminder,” Coker says.
