Dive Brief:
- New York City’s official marketing and tourism organization, New York City Tourism + Conventions, appointed Fred Dixon as president and CEO, effective Dec. 1, according to a Wednesday news release.
- Dixon returns to the role after previously serving as head of the organization from 2014 to 2024 and most recently holding the position of president and CEO of Brand USA, the country’s destination marketing organization. He was selected after New York City Tourism + Conventions’ board conducted a “thoughtful process” to identify its next leader, Charles Flateman, board chairman, said in a statement.
- Dixon’s appointment comes as New York contends with a shortage of international travelers, placing additional pressure on the city’s hotels. His experience will provide “valuable perspective on how New York City can continue to grow visitation, strengthen its global position and deliver economic opportunity throughout the five boroughs,” according to New York City Tourism + Conventions.
Dive Insight:
After focusing exclusively on increasing international tourism to the U.S. at Brand USA for the last two years, Dixon’s return to NYC’s official tourism organization “brings together longtime experience promoting New York City with a broader national and global perspective on the evolving travel landscape,” per the release.
Dixon is tasked with leading efforts to promote New York as the world’s top destination for leisure travel, meetings, conventions and events, while strengthening partnerships across the city’s tourism ecosystem, which includes its hotel industry.
Vijay Dandapani, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City, told Hotel Dive that while the association is “very glad” New York City Tourism + Conventions has reappointed Dixon, work is cut out for him as “the city’s hotels are a long way from getting back to 2019 numbers.”
Visitation to New York was down by 1.3 million people in 2025 compared to 2019, Dandapani said. And 2026, while initially projected to be 300,000 visitors short of 2019 numbers, is now looking to be closer to 1 million short “despite the slight upward blip from the FIFA World Cup,” according to Dandapani.
Additionally, the escalating trade war between the U.S. and Canada has recently exacerbated New York’s international tourism losses, HANYC reported this week.
New York City Tourism + Conventions projects New York will see 66.3 million visitors in total in 2026, up 2% year over year but down compared to 2019’s 66.6 million visitors.
In addition to tourism challenges, New York hotels are facing economic headwinds such as travel restrictions, slowed revenue growth, persistent inflation, rising operating costs and immigration crackdowns, per HANYC.
In line with Dixon’s appointment, Dandapani said the association would like to see a lowering of New York’s hotel occupancy tax or, “at a minimum,” periodic occupancy tax holidays to drive group and meetings business.
New York City Tourism + Conventions told Hotel Dive it will share more regarding Dixon’s specific plans once he steps into his role later this year.
Until then, Flateman will assume oversight of NYC Tourism + Conventions “to ensure a smooth transition with staff and business functions,” alongside the organization’s executive leadership team, per the release.
