I LOVE NEW YORK Tourism Representation in Germany

The New York State Department of Economic Development (hereafter referred to as “NYSDED” or the “Department”) has issued this Request for Proposal (RFP) to secure a qualified individual or firm (the “Contractor”) to represent the Department in the Germany market exclusively for travel and tourism. The successful bidder (also referred to herein as the “Contractor”) will be responsible for various tasks associated with travel trade representation and marketing, consumer marketing, strategic counsel on the German travel industry, and operational support for the NYSDED Division of Tourism in industry-related activities and promotions.

DED Division of Tourism seeks a Contractor to represent it in the German marketplace for travel and tourism promotion activities for a period of up to five (5) years. The Contractor is to develop a clear and focused marketing strategy, and implement marketing activities with creativity, discipline and accountability. The responsibilities of the Contractor shall include a combination of trade, media, consumer outreach and general representation services (the “Services) in Germany as further described in this Section 2.1 and provide the deliverables as described in Section 2.3 of the RFP.

The Services shall mean:

• Travel Trade representation of the Division of Tourism and marketing of travel to New York State through industry-related activities and promotions.
• In-market Management of Partner Marketing Promotions.
• Consumer marketing in Germany marketplace.
• Strategic counsel on the international travel industry and trends in the German market, in particular.
• Operational support to ensure New York State is fully represented in the German market.
• Collaboration with DED’s International Foreign Direct Investment and Trade Promotion Offices.

Deliverables

• An annual marketing plan, due 60 days prior to the start of each fiscal year (except the first), detailing the activities planned for the coming year, goals, recommendations, expected results and metrics.
• Monthly activity reports, due within 30 days of the month covered by the report, describing activities and accomplishments.
• Periodic and final reports on marketing partnerships and consumer facing projects including feedback, KPIs, trends and next step recommendations.
• Monthly financial reports / invoices, generated within 30 days of the end of each month, for expenses and fees.

Applicants must submit their full proposal to tourismrfp@esd.ny.gov with “Tourism Representation in Germany– your company name” in the subject line. *Appendix B - Budget* must be attached as a separate document from the rest of your proposal. Proposals received after the scheduled date and time cannot be accepted.

Approximately US **$250,000.00** per year is expected to be available for the Contractor to represent the Division of Tourism in Germany and execute the scope of services described in Section 2.1. Proposals exceeding US $250,000.00 per year will be rejected without review.

Proposals that meet all the mandatory qualifications as outlined in Section 2.4 above will be evaluated by NYSDED based on the following Selection Criteria: Demonstrated Experience (20 points); Quality of Approach & Performance Metrics (25 points); Organizational capability (15 points); Resources evaluation (20 points); Cost evaluation (20 points).

Interviews/Oral Presentation of finalists may be conducted at the discretion of the Department. [...] Award of Contract January 2027 (estimated). Projected Contract Start Date February 1, 2027 (estimated).