New research by McKinsey & Company has revealed that while travel
to New York is back, travellers arriving in the Big Apple are not
looking for the same old experiences.
“Travellers’ mindsets and behaviours have shifted. Gone are the days
when destinations could get away with offering experiences that are
kitschy, overcrowded, or one-size-fits-all,” McKinsey said.
Visitors still want to see the most famous New York City sites
(Central Park, for example, remains the No. 1 visitor attraction based
on TripAdvisor reviews), but they are increasingly venturing beyond
Manhattan, looking for one-of-a-kind adventures and spending time
outdoors, McKinsey research found.
“Given its history, culture, diversity, grit and glamour, New York
has a unique opportunity to delight visitors—while showing them the
“real” city in ways they might never have seen it before.”
McKinsey noted while Manhattan remains uniquely appealing, many
visitors now look farther afield than Times Square, the Empire State
Building, Rockefeller Centre, and the Statue of Liberty.
“Instead of confining themselves to the standard tourist itinerary,
travellers are now more likely to cross the East River to enjoy Prospect
Park and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, for example, or to take in a
Major League baseball game at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx or at Citi
Field in Queens.”
McKinsey said New York City has amply responded to this trend, with
classic sites reinventing themselves through new experiences that
encourage repeat visitors to take another look.
Examples include the Times Square’s RiseNY experience that allows
visitors to take a simulated flight over the city while learning about
its history, while Rockefeller Centre’s Top of the Rock observation deck
debuted the “Beam” in December 2023, giving visitors an opportunity to
recreate a famous 1932 photo of construction workers eating their
lunches while perilously perched on a construction beam.
Today’s visitors to New York City expect more than just shopping and nightlife, McKinsey said.
According to Mabrian, tourist-created social media mentions relating
to nature, wellness, and food and cuisine have increased by five
percentage points each, taking share from mentions of nightlife (down
6%), arts and culture (down 4%), and shopping (down 3%).
McKinsey ends its report by quoting Maya Angelou, who famously said,
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but
people will never forget how you made them feel.”
McKinsey said the same holds true for New York City.
And that is the challenge for its travel and tourism industry.