NYC & Company, New York City’s official destination marketing organization recently presented 2019: A Monumental Year to an audience of more than 150 New York City media and travel partners. The new global communications initiative is designed to spotlight New York City as a must-visit destination in 2019 when several large-scale developments and openings are set to debut along with new hotels, attractions, dining, retail, culture and more.  

NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon

The press conference, held at The Museum of Modern Art, was hosted by NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon and Senior Vice President of Global Communications Chris Heywood. They were joined by Glenn D. Lowry, Director, The Museum of Modern Art, and Sarah Suzuki, MoMA’s Director, Opening of the new Museum, who provided an update on the museum’s significant expansion, projected to open in the summer of 2019.

“With an abundance of blockbuster openings across New York City and the historic 50th anniversary of Stonewall, 2019 will truly be a monumental year,” said Dixon. “We encourage travelers to plan ahead now and put New York City on their must-visit list for next year.”

MoMA Expansion

The Museum of Modern Art is undergoing a renovation and expansion that will increase gallery space by 30 percent and will enhance public spaces. The first phase of renovations on the east end is now complete and the next phase, including new construction on the west end, has an estimated completion date of summer 2019.

Hudson Yards

Other new large-scale developments coming to New York City in 2019 include Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s Far West Side—the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States; The Shed, a multi-arts center dedicated to global displays of visual art, design, media; and Vessel, a climbable urban landmark created by British designer Thomas Heatherwick. Within Hudson Yards, there will also be a new flagship Neiman Marcus store—the first in NYC; the City’s highest outdoor observation deck; 14 acres of public space; an Equinox branded luxury hotel; 16 distinct dining experiences curated by celebrity chefs including the new Spanish food hall Mercado Little Spain; and the City’s highest outdoor observation deck.   

Statue of Liberty Museum

2019 will also see the opening of the new 26,000-square-foot Statue of Liberty Museum, expected to debut next May; the Nordstrom Women’s Flagship Store; the renovation and expansion of the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx; and the opening of the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport in Queens. Next April, MetLife Stadium will host WWE’s WrestleMania 35.

New venues to attract meetings and convention delegates debuting in 2019 include The Glasshouse, set to be one of NYC’s largest private event spaces with two outdoor observation terraces overlooking the Hudson River; and the 360,000-square-foot Verizon Executive Education Center at the Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech Campus, which will offer a venue for academic conferences, executive programs and academic workshops. The Javits Center also continues its expansion, anticipated to be completed in 2021.

Domino Park

This year has also been defined by several new openings. Domino Park recently debuted on the Williamsburg waterfront. On June 30, Coney Island’s New York Aquarium will welcome the opening of the new Ocean Wonders: Sharks! exhibit. The reimagined Seaport District’s Pier 17 recently opened with new programming and future rooftop events, all part of Lower Manhattan’s continued revitalization. In November, Staten Island will welcome the opening of the 100-store Empire Outlets, NYC’s only outlet destination, on the St. George waterfront.

Hudson Yards construction view from High Line

New York City has the most active hotel development pipeline in the country, with 117,300 hotel rooms and an expected inventory of nearly 137,000 hotel rooms by the end of 2019. NYC currently has the highest occupancy rate (88 percent on average) and the highest average daily room rate in the nation. The City has seen 40 consecutive months of increasing room demand, with a record 38 million+ room nights anticipated to be sold before year’s end.

New York City welcomed 62.8 million visitors in 2017, the City’s eighth consecutive year for record-breaking tourism, with 49.7 million domestic and 13.1 million international visitors. New York City remains the number one US destination for international visitation, visitor spending and economic impact. In 2018, the destination is expected to welcome 65.1 million visitors.

For more information, visit nycgo.com

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