[New York Diary] Massive Discounts in the Heart of Winter: NYC's Tourism Policy

NYC Winter Outing Week Returns
Discounts on Gourmet Food, Culture, and Hotels
Turning the Off-Season into a Citywide Festival

Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City, and Broadway musical actors attending the NYC Winter Outing Ceremony [Source: New York City (NYC)]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] January in New York feels relatively quiet, perhaps because the crowds of year-end holiday tourists who enjoyed Christmas have all left at once. It is also an off-season period with fewer tourists visiting New York due to the cold weather. However, as one of the 'world's largest tourist cities,' New York does not simply let this off-season pass by. Once again this year, the 'NYC Winter Outing' week has returned.

Starting from the 17th of this month, the NYC Winter Outing week is a tourism event offering discounts on gourmet food, culture, tourist attractions, hotels, and more throughout New York City. In addition to the well-known 'Broadway Week,' 'Must-See Week,' and 'Restaurant Week,' 'New York Hotel Week' was added last year. NYC & Company, the tourism promotion organization under New York City, emphasized various discount benefits at an event introducing this year's program, stating, "There is no better time to enjoy New York than now."

First, 'Broadway Week' offers a 'buy one, get one free' deal on tickets for popular musicals and plays such as The Lion King and Wicked. Hamilton, considered one of Broadway's top hits, rarely offers discounted tickets, so it was already 'sold out' just a few days after reservations opened. An international student from Wisconsin, who had postponed their New York trip waiting for this period, shared a success story: "After searching all dates, I finally booked two corner seats for the price of one."

Currently, 'Restaurant Week' is underway at 515 restaurants across New York City. They offer weekday 2-course lunches or 3-course dinners, including salad and main dishes, at special prices of $35, $45, and $60 respectively. Some critics point out that due to soaring inflation, the cost-effectiveness of Restaurant Week is not as great as in previous years. However, interest remains high as Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants, which usually charge over $100 per person, are also participating.

A representative from N Restaurant, part of the Jean-Georges group, said, "During Restaurant Week, the proportion of weekday tourists and students definitely increases," adding, "It is also an opportunity to introduce ourselves to more people." A fusion restaurant located in Midtown East mentioned, "We prepared by adding more items to our usual lunch special menu," and said, "There is no reason for a restaurant not to participate in Restaurant Week." For customers, it is a chance to experience sought-after restaurants at discounted prices, and for restaurants, it is a form of loss-leader promotion to attract and advertise to potential customers.

Additionally, 'Must-See Week' offers a '2+1' deal on admission tickets to about 40 New York tourist attractions such as observatories and museums, and 'New York Hotel Week' allows stays at about 140 hotels in New York at an average discount of 23%. Both are currently part of the Winter Outing event.

These events attract tourists from all over to New York even during the bitterly cold off-season and help revive the city's overall economic vitality. Personally, I do not recommend visiting New York in January and February when you have to walk through the biting wind between skyscrapers, but with discounts like these, it is tempting to consider a visit. Especially in New York, notorious for its high prices, if you want to enjoy gourmet food, culture, and tourist attractions without missing any within a limited budget.

Last year, about 56.4 million visitors came to New York City, recovering to 85% of the pre-pandemic 2019 visitor numbers. At a lighting ceremony introducing the NYC Winter Outing event last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams emphasized, "The tourism industry is an important economic engine generating $60 billion in economic impact across the city's five boroughs," and added, "We will welcome even more tourists in 2023." He also added, "Spend money!"

Those waiting for this period are not only tourists. Longtime New Yorkers also take the opportunity to enjoy various parts of New York at discounted prices. While there are certainly many factors behind New York's economic engine not shutting down, it is interesting to see how even the off-season, when tourists are fewest, is turned into a large-scale consumption festival where everyone 'wins.' This will also serve as a good reference for Korea, which aims to make 2023 the inaugural year as a major tourism country, powered by the Korean Wave.