Luring New Yorkers away from the rat race

That message is not a particularly hard sell for New Yorkers, who are notoriously overworked (though not notoriously underpaid). More than one-quarter of the metro region’s 6.7 million households makes more than $100,000 per year, according to a 2005 Census Bureau report. Nationwide, less than one-sixth of households make as much.

“It’s a go-fast mentality in New York. People like to decompress,” said John Golicz, chief executive and founder of the Adventures In Travel Expo, which draws tens of thousands of people each year. “There’s moments where it looks pretty good on the other side.”

And the setting can make for particularly effective advertising, especially in the winter, said Rosemary Abendroth, the global communications director for the Minneapolis-based Fallon advertising agency.

“New York is just as dreary as any northern place,” said Abendroth, whose agency handled the Bahamas subway campaign.

Indeed, the city is “probably the No. 1 source market for business to most Caribbean islands,” says Peter Warren, Chairman and CEO of Warren Kremer Paino LLC advertising agency, which has handled nationwide campaigns for a number of vacation spots.

Many destinations inside the U.S. find New York to be equally valuable. Fort Lauderdale, which spent about $200,000 to create its faux beach scene in a temporary storefront last month, relies on the New York metro region for nearly a third of its 10.4 million visitors — more than any other out-of-state area, said Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“For any destination internationally, New York City is a major market,” said Rach. “Any major new resort that opens, they’re going to immediately include in their budgeting a very concerted effort in the New York market.”

Attracting a New Yorker to a destination is believed to be more valuable than attracting residents from elsewhere, Rach said.

“New Yorkers are trendsetters,” she said, adding that word-of-mouth recommendations seem to have a stronger hold here than in other regions.

Surprisingly, one of the destinations most interested in grabbing the attention of New York area residents may be ... New York.

Warren, the advertising executive, says that while representing hotels in the city, his agency has focused on residents from the nearby suburbs, who seem to come in droves.

“The No. 1 weekend traveler is local,” he said.

MORE FROM U.S. & CANADA

U.S. & Canada Section Front

Head to New York for your holiday break America’s best city parks Top 25 American hot spots Pirate’s booty on display in Virginia St. Louis highlights its blues heritage Deadwood marks 20 years of legal gambling Eat, shop, explore Chicago’s ethnic neighborhoods TV tours a big attraction for N.Y. tourists America’s most attractive people America’s favorite cities U.S. & Canada Section Front   Add U.S. & Canada headlines to your news reader: