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"This Is New York City," New York's first international advertising campaign was unveiled this week. The campaign seeks to attract tourists from around the world, showcasing the range of experiences and things to do throughout the city.

New York's campaign will be seen on television in Spain, Ireland, France, and the United Kingdom; outdoor billboards will be up in Brazil, Portugal, Italy and Spain; newspaper and magazine spots will be purchased in countries including South Africa and Germany.

According to International Herald Tribune article, NYC unveils global ad campaign to draw foreign visitors, the city's tourism office has been expanding internationally with attempts to attract world travelers in this increasingly competitive market. Previous attempts to promote the city include small billboard campaigns in the United Kingdom and Ireland, but for the first time, ads will appear on television abroad sending a unified message to multiple nations.

This campaign is designed to help reach Mayor Bloomberg's set goal of increasing tourism in New York City from 44 million people each year to 50 million people by 2015. Currently, tourism brings about $24 billion into the city each year.

This is a good time for New York to be thinking about tourism, as international travelers will want to take advantage of the good exchange rate in the US.New York is always an attractive city to visit, but a campaign advertising the true depth of activities that can be done within the five boroughs can only make it look better. Mayor Bloomburg pointed out the beauty of this melting pot city: "It is five boroughs. It is every kind of cuisine and culture and religion and ethnicity that exists anyplace in the world."

Success with this campaign does depend upon the United States' status within the countries targeted. Favorable opinion does change on a day-to-day basis, and feelings regarding safety may deter some travelers from crossing the ocean for a trip to the big apple. What this campaign will definitely do, however, is spread the world about New York's diverse ethnic population, stressing that almost anyone can find a place there. A campaign such as this could also hopefully spread the message that New York, and America as a whole, is open to everyone.