NEW YORK CITY, CAPE TOWN AND BERLIN PARTNER TO LAUNCH "ONE SMALL WORLD" AHEAD OF WORLD TOURISM DAY

New York City (September 26, 2024) — New York City Tourism + Conventions, Cape Town Tourism and visitBerlin have announced the world’s first three-way destination marketing organization (DMO) partnership designed to cross promote travel between the cities. The partnership, which launched last night at Mercer Labs in New York City, features the debut of the One Small World short film and campaign and includes sharing of best practices, future media exchanges and continued promotion of the One Small World initiative. The announcement comes in the lead-up to World Tourism Day 2024 on September 27.

One Small World is the documentary-style short film at the heart of the campaign, which dissolves the barriers of time, distance and geography to reveal the essence of TimeOut’s 2024 top three best cities and their embodiment of World Tourism Day’s 2024 theme of “Tourism & Peace.” Produced by new experiences media company, Tape and now live on each city’s social media platforms, One Small World tells the story of three legendary locals: NYC restaurateur Melba Wilson, Cape Town hip-hop artist YoungstaCPT and Berlin-based DJ Annie O, who span oceans and continents to share their love of their hometowns, discovering how closely their similarities bind them together and how their differences help them grow stronger.

“We’re so excited to evolve our strategic tourism partnerships with both Cape Town Tourism and visitBerlin with the world premiere of our One Small World short film here in New York City,” said NYC Tourism + Conventions Chief Marketing Officer and Interim CEO Nancy Mammana. “In the process of creating the film, the importance of our partnership as a way to drive tourism and in-person travel experience became crystal clear, and really solidified the meaning of our work. We have so much in common—yet so many unique experiences to share with the millions of travelers who visit our cities each year.”

“This pioneering initiative will promote transformative travel experiences between these three iconic cities,” said Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism. “As a city that embodies the spirit of resilience, diversity and unity, we are excited to partner with New York City and Berlin to share our uniquely South African story with the world and inspire travelers to embrace the transformative power of travel. As a destination that has overcome challenges and emerged stronger, Cape Town understands the importance of global connections and advocating peace through tourism.”

“Our three cities—Cape Town, New York and Berlin—are united by their vibrant, cosmopolitan lifestyles, rich cultural landscapes and forward-thinking spirits, yet each offers its own unique character,” said visitBerlin CEO Burkhard Kieker. “Our cities aim to attract well-educated global citizens by offering a warm and welcoming experience that makes them feel at home from the moment they arrive. We have a high correlation between our target audiences and will collaborate through joint social marketing efforts. Shared databases and connected strategies will be the foundation for the perfect visitor experience to come.”

The concept of the three-city partnership is rooted in the pre-existing city-to-city tourism partnerships aiming to drive travel between the destinations, with New York City Tourism + Conventions signing partnership agreements with Cape Town Tourism in 2017 and visitBerlin in 2019. The cities will continue to share best practices on tourism development and promotion, and the partnership will also include future media exchanges across the three locations and continued exploration of promotion of the One Small World campaign.

The One Small World travelogue, which lies at the heart of the partnership, will be distributed as a digital content campaign across the three cities’ social media platforms. These platforms have a collective following of over 4.5 million people and an impressive average organic engagement rate of 3.5%, which is 2.4% higher than the industry average. Through this collaboration, each city will gain valuable exposure to new markets and increased brand visibility and reach across networks in the United States, South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.

United Airlines, which serves all three destinations, is supporting the initiative and is integral in connecting the cities through air travel with more than 400 daily flights from its Newark Liberty International Airport hub.

Mercer Labs Museum of Art and Technology, which is highlighted in the film and is also supporting the initiative, is redefining the museum experience. The experimental institution stands at 36,000 square feet in the heart of Lower Manhattan. Through 15 exhibition spaces and interactive multisensory experiences, the relationship between art and technology is reimagined by creatives and artists who create content where art humanizes technology.

Follow the journey on social media @nyctourism, @LoveCapeTown and @visitBerlin, and engage using the hashtag, #1smallworld.

About New York City Tourism + Conventions:
New York City Tourism + Conventions is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) and convention and visitors bureau (CVB) for the five boroughs of New York City. Our mission is to invite the world and energize the City, building equitable, sustainable economic prosperity and community through tourism for the mutual benefit of residents, businesses and visitors. For all there is to do and see in New York City, visit nyctourism.com.

About Cape Town Tourism:
Cape Town Tourism is a globally award-winning destination marketing organisation (DMO) that works tirelessly to shine a global spotlight on Cape Town. The DMO knows that successful tourism is imperative to bolster resilience in the visitor economy. It’s also a wonderful way to build pride. The DMO works closely with communities and local businesses to showcase their offerings to the world. Its primary goal is to use tourism as a means to empower its partners to take their businesses to the next level. Proudly South African, it follows the principles of Responsible Tourism and Fair Trade. Its main message? Come to Cape Town. Find Your Freedom. Enjoy an unforgettable adventure.

About visitBerlin:
“Inspiring the world for Berlin.” With this mission, Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH promotes Berlin’s destination management as well as the city’s tourism and congress marketing. Under the visitBerlin brand, the company is a partner, actor, source of creative ideas, and networker. Its remit is focused on sustainable product development and marketing city-compatible tourism services in all twelve Berlin boroughs with the aim of maintaining the life quality of local residents and harmoniously increasing experience value for visitors. As a tour operator, visitBerlin also issues the Berlin WelcomeCard, the city’s official tourist ticket. The company also operates the Berlin Tourist Info Centres. On visitBerlin.de, Berlin’s official tourism website, visitors can find all the information they need on every aspect of their trip to the city. Find out more about visitBerlin on about.visitBerlin.de.