It all began with journalist Ceil Miller Bouchet’s press visit in June 2018. Ceil came to Lyon to write an article for Indagare, an excellent American travel website that offers both high-quality content about destinations and an online travel agency service.
Ceil fell for the charm of the destination, its architectural and cultural heritage, and its gastronomy. Outstanding projects, such as the renovation of the Grand-Hôtel-Dieu and the forthcoming opening of the Cité de la Gastronomie (City of Gastronomy), further supported her decision to suggest Lyon to the New York Times in September 2018.
The New York Times’ selection of destinations is made during editorial meetings. “We discuss the advantages and drawbacks of each destination suggested during a marathon meeting (or two) before drawing up a shortlist. Our main aim is to have a variety of regions and interests, as well as a few surprises. We also try to have a representative mixture, including cities, regions and even entire countries,” says the New York Times.
Of course, this selection, which has helped raise Lyon’s profile on the international stage, is the result of tireless work by all those who have contributed to the city’s development and reputation over the past fifteen years or so. In recent decades, Lyon has already firmly established itself on the European stage, in particular with the award of the title ‘Europe's Leading City Break Destination 2016’.
2019 is looking very promising indeed as, in addition to the New York Times selection, 2019 is looking very promising indeed as, in addition to the New York Times selection, and was also chosen as one of ten destinations to visit by British newspaper The Independent.
The New York Times has been publishing its list of places to visit for the past decade or so. The impact of being selected on the visibility of destinations is huge. The New York Times weekend supplement has a circulation of 972,774 copies and nearly 30 million unique visitors per month will access this information online.
See the New York Times' article...
Download the press release...