Luring New Yorkers away from the rat race

updated 3:23 p.m. ET Feb. 13, 2007

NEW YORK - It was snowing, but in Manhattan’s Union Square there was sun, a blonde in a bikini, a beach ball, a sandcastle. Someone was even fly fishing.

The scene was no mirage conjured up by winter-weary locals.

Instead, the sand and virtual fishing were all part of a weeklong promotional effort by tourism officials from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who were hoping that a glimpse of paradise might remind New Yorkers of exactly what they’re missing.

Fort Lauderdale is one of many destinations worldwide trying to win tourism dollars by luring New Yorkers away from the rat race. A sizable pot of money is at stake because of the sheer number of affluent travelers in this city of 8 million people.

“There are many highly educated people here making a good deal of money,” said Lalia Rach, associate dean of the Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism at New York University. “This is the population that has the money and has the desire to go places.”

With three airports — and a fourth poised to join the group — offering a growing roster of direct and discounted flights, New Yorkers have the world at their doorstep.

Of the more than 28 million Americans who traveled overseas in 2005, 15 percent were New York City residents and 29 percent were from the Middle Atlantic region that includes New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. No other city or region outpaced them.

Nearly a quarter of the nation’s departing overseas flights in 2005 left from the metro region’s three airports.

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While many campaigns target the metro region specifically, it is unclear exactly how much money is at stake, says Cathy Keefe, manager of media relations for the Travel Industry Association of America.

“It’s probably one of the top feeder markets for a variety of destinations,” she said. “You can’t ignore it.”

One thing is for certain: Tourist spots are spending millions of dollars on capturing the eye of New Yorkers.

Currently, nearly one in 10 of the city’s subway cars are plastered with ads telling New Yorkers they need a “Bahamavention” to rescue them from the stress — and pallor — of their workaday lives. Other nations including Antigua, Brazil and Morocco are aggressively courting New Yorkers, as are states such as Maine.

Last year, riders on the Times Square Shuttle line were surrounded on all sides by a Budapest streetscape covering the walls of the cars, in a campaign meant to advertise Delta Air Lines.

Many destinations and airlines buy space on the subways, said Roco Krsulic, who approves advertising for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Frequently, he said, the underlying message of such advertising is, simply, “don’t you wish you weren’t here?”

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