Taylor Swift's role as New York's ambassador shouldn't be called into question because it is a "city of immigrants", the head of the tourist board has insisted.
Fred Dixon, NYC & Company president and chief executive, has hit back at critics who have blasted the decision to give the 24-year-old singer - who was born in Reading, Pennsylvania and raised in Nashville - the role because she is not from the Big Apple, but he insists she is incredibly passionate about the city.
He said: "Her passion for New York is very genuine and she wants to tell the world about it. New York is a city of immigrants, not many of us were born in New York - we've all followed our dreams there.
"We've done the traditional New Yorkers view of the city - this was an incredible opportunity for us to take one of the world's biggest pop stars and use her to talk to people about that dream of coming to NYC."
Fred admitted Taylor - who moved to New York City earlier this year - was a "money can't buy" option for the city because the 'Welcome to New York' hitmaker, who is not being paid, can easily promote the city by reaching out to her 46.2 million Twitter followers.
Speaking to Travel Trade Gazette (TTG), he added: "Taylor has one of the largest social media presences in the world, and she has a huge millennial following, which is very important to us.
"They can be difficult to reach in an authentic way, and she does that for us. It's something money just can't buy."
Taylor was named New York City's Global Welcome Ambassador last month and as part of the role she will see in 2015 by performing on TV show 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest', which will broadcast live from Times Square on ABC on New Year's Eve (31.12.14).
David Letterman recently questioned her motives after she was appointed into the role and several other residents have also followed suit.

Matthew McConaughey "became a man" after the death of his father.
The 'Interstellar' actor lost his beloved dad Jim in 1992 and says the tragedy had a profound effect on him.
Writing about one of 10 moments that helped shape the man he is today, he said: "A boy loses his father, he quickly becomes a man, I was 22. I remember clearly the sobriety I felt in the pain of my father passing. The sorrow refined me, and I never looked at the world the same again."
Elsewhere in the article, the 45-year-old hunk - who has children Levi, six, Vida, four, and Livingston, two, with wife Camila Alves - recalled his misguided decision to swap his trusty truck for a sports car when he was in high school - and quickly found the flashy motor "changed" his personality.
Titling the experience 'The Curse of the Red Sports Car', he wrote for People magazine: "My truck was informal, rugged, social, like me. But this 300ZX [sports car] was my dream car, or so I thought. And as soon as I got it, something changed. I started acting like my car. I became really concerned with my appearance, meticulous, self-conscious."
Just two months later, the 'Magic Mike' star sold the sports car and got his truck back and claimed he quickly returned to his usual self.

Charlie Hunnam gets "depressed" if he doesn't work out.
The 'Sons of Anarchy' actor thinks it is important to keep his body clean and not "corrupt" and is "addicted" to the chemical response he experiences when he exercises.
Speaking to the new issue of Men's Health magazine, he said: "I get more out of fitness mentally than I do physically. It's like an oil change.
"Your body is mostly water and it gets dirty, you know? You have to clear the dirty water otherwise it'll corrupt everything; your thoughts, emotional process and body.
"I get addicted to the endorphin release of working out - my whole physiology relies on that. If I get injured or I don't have time, I'll start to feel cloudy, then depressed."
The 34-year-old star admits he has been setting up as many projects as possible for when 'Sons of Anarchy' draws to a close because he wants to avoid "falling into a dark pit" of despair.
Discussing how he feels at the end of a project, he said: "There's a brutal reintroduction back into your regular life, which has been completely f**king neglected for six months.
'I imagine with 'Sons'...that's going to be exacerbated tenfold. I can feel weird and lost - I'm prone to it.
"I wanted to avoid falling into a dark pit of existential crisis this time, so over the last 18 months I've been setting up some projects.
"I felt working through the transition was the healthiest way to deal with it."

Daisy Lowe wants to go to university after she's had children.
The 25-year-old star insists she was always similar to 'Absolutely Fabulous' character Saffy - the geeky and sensible on-screen daughter of Jennifer Saunders' character Edina - when she was at school so she would love to take up education again when she has a family of her own.
The brunette beauty - who previously dated Matt Smith - said: "When I have kids, I'll go back to university. The university of life has been good for me.
"While my friends were at uni, I was still going out and having fun. I was really into school, a real Saffy."
The model - whose parents are Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and fashion designer Pearl Lowe - admitted she was inspired to do well at school because actress Helena Bonham Carter went to the same education establishment as her and she was a massive fan of the 'Sweeney Todd' star.
She added: "Going to South Hampstead was really academic and you're really pushed to want to do things for yourself. I was quite happy to work really hard.
"Helena Bonham Carter had gone there and I love her. She's always been a massive idol of mine. I really loved sciences - that's what I got all my A*s in!"
Daisy insists she feels more "childlike" the older she gets but she has got slightly more mature since her days of living with actress Jaime Winstone when they had a whole room in their flat dedicated to dressing up clothing.
She said: "Everyone's always said I'm quite grown up for my age, but now I'm 25, I feel like I'm the age I'm supposed to be.
"The older I get, the more childlike I become, which is probably a good thing.
"When I was 21, I used to live with Jaime Winstone. She's hilarious and really talented.
"We had a fancy dress room, a creative room ... it was a whole year of fun!"
American Express has commissioned Daisy to lend her support to Small Business Saturday, an initiative encouraging people to shop in small independent businesses on Saturday December 6. Visit: amexshopsmall.co.uk.

Millie Mackintosh and Professor Green love to play "mellow ambient music" while hosting guests at their home.
The couple - who married in September 2013 - often put on dinner parties for their showbiz pals but instead of sticking on her husband's rapping hits, they like to relax to some chilled out tunes before throwing some shapes to some more upbeat sounds.
She said: "Luckily, we have a lot of different lighting settings in our kitchens, but candles and lamps can be used to soften a room.
"Mellow ambient music during dinner and then afterwards, I'd put on some more lively music. And finally, the smell of food cooking is also very inviting, so get something in the oven early!"
While the brunette beauty loves hosting parties for her pals, she is set to put on her first ever Christmas party for her friends and is looking forward to trying out some new recipes she learnt from her time on cookery show 'Celebrity Masterchef'.
She added: "I love this time of year when I have lots of excuses to catch up with friends and family. In fact, I'm hosting Christmas at my home for the first time this year!
"I have just moved into a new home and after appearing on 'Celebrity Masterchef', expectations from guests are high.
"I'm thrilled to be working with Tassimo to help the nation fix their hosting horrors, and hopefully I'll learn a thing or two along the way too."
Millie has teamed up with hot drinks machine brand Tassimo to show the nation how to be the 'Perfect Host' for any occasion.

The majority of Britons don't want Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall to become Queen, according to new research. A poll, which was carried out by market research company YouGov, has found that while the majority of Britons would like to see her h...

Eddie Redmayne never felt "comfortable" whilst filming 'The Theory of Everything'.
The 32-year-old actor - who plays the lead in a biopic about Stephen Hawking's life - admitted that he couldn't relax on set because of the pressure of playing someone so "iconic".
When asked at what point he felt comfortable during shooting, he said: "Never, actually. Particularly because there is so much documentary material on Stephen and I watched and continued to watch sort of all of it ...
"It's unheard of, really, for an actor to see every day's material but I kept seeing it. I had this iPad with all this footage of Stephen and then I'd see the footage of me and wish it could just blend.
"There was never a moment where I could relax, right to the last scene."
Meanwhile, Eddie also opened up embarrassing himself when he first met Stephen.
He explained to Collider.com: "I'd spent maybe four or five months researching everything about [Stephen] and in the process, I began to idolise him more and more and what he'd achieved and how he chose to live his life.
"I suffer from verbal diarrhoea and I basically spent the first 35 minutes just genuinely vomiting forth information about Stephen Hawking to Stephen Hawking."
He continued: "I ended up saying: 'Of course, Stephen, you were born on the 8th of January, which is Galileo's birthday ... I was born on the 6th of January, so we're both Capricorns.' There was the six minute pause and in his iconic voice, he came out and said: 'I am an astronomer, not an astrologer'."

Christopher Nolan preferred to use more practical special effects in 'Interstellar'.
The 44-year-old - who directed and co-wrote the science fiction film - wanted to create a "realistic" atmosphere for the actors on set as much as possible.
Speaking in a behind-the-scenes video posted on CBM Trailers's YouTube channel, the movie's SFX supervisor, Scott Fisher, said: "Chris wants us to do as much as you can practical.
"If you can achieve it in camera, that's always the goal."
Producer, Lynda Obst added: "He takes us to these exotic locations and creates a planetary atmosphere.
"He's filling the screen with a real image that feels real because it is real."
Meanwhile, John Lithgow, who plays Donald in the film, recounts how Christopher created a particular scene with a dust cloud.
He explained: "He loves to work from reality. When we turn around and say: 'Uh oh, a dust storm, you figure you were just gonna look at an empty landscape and they just put it in later for us so we would have to pretend. No."
Christopher added: "For me, when you're dealing with the vastness of the universe, it's going to have to be the most ambitious film you've done. That takes a number of different forms."

Stacey Solomon would eat a pig's face if she was on this year's series of 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'.
The 25-year-old star went Down Under in 2010 and was crowned 'Queen of the Jungle' by the British public and had to dine on a buffet of disgusting delicacies in the Rank Banquet Bushtucker Trial.
When told some of this year's unlucky campmates will have to take a bite out of new menu item pig's face during the food challenges, Stacey insists she'd rather tackle the puke-inducing pork than something like kangaroo's penis.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz, she said: "Of course I'll be watching when it starts, it's my favourite. I tell you, pig's face is better than kangaroo's willy. We had kangaroo's anus as well. I'd rather eat the face though, I'd rather have the front end than the bottom end!
Stacey has heard rumours Gemma Collins is going into the jungle and she is tipping 'The Only Way Is Essex' star to be a potential winner if she does appear on the programme.
The singer - who first shot to fame on 'The X Factor' - said: "Gemma will do fine if she goes in. She's a strong woman, she knows what she's doing and she knows what she wants, she can get through that. "If she gets past the trials and really goes for it I think she can make it to the end."
Stacey attended the launch of Disney Store's Share the Magic Christmas charity campaign at its flagship shop on London's Oxford Street on Tuesday night (04.11.14).
She was joined by a host of other celebrities, including Kate Garraway, Michelle Heaton, Tina Hobley and Claire Sweeney, who got to meet special guests Mickey and Minnie.
The Share in The Magic charity campaign - which is in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity - is a UK initiative that invites families to post their own own Letter to Santa at Disney Stores across the country and online at disneystore.co.uk, for every letter sent Disney Store will donate soft toys to children.

One Direction are backing Lauren Platt to win 'The X Factor'.
The boy band were formed by Simon Cowell on the pop star search show in 2010, going on to finish in third position behind Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle.
The 1D guys have been watching this year's competition and although they accept Andrea Faustini is the favourite they want 17-year-old Lauren to win.
Speaking about this year's series, Niall Horan said: "I think Andrea is going to win it ... but my favourite is Lauren, I really like her - she is really sweet."
In the joint interview on 'This Morning', Louis Tomlinson added, "Yeah, I'd like to see Lauren win it ... but there are great contestants this year."
Liam Payne admits he gets nervous just watching the ITV show because it brings back so many memories of their journey.
He said: "It makes me nervous (watching it) - there's too many memories!"
Bandmate Harry Styles doesn't get nervous watching 'X Factor' but he does still get butterflies before their concerts, despite the amount of touring they've done.
He admitted: "(I do), especially at the start of tours the most."
Niall - who is also joined in the band by Zayn Malik - added: "I always get nervous before live TV shows."

Zoe Ball will stand in for Claudia Winkleman on this weekend's 'Strictly Come Dancing' while she cares for her daughter.
'It Takes Two' host Zoe co-hosted the ballroom competition with Tess Daly last weekend when Claudia had to miss the shows on Saturday (01.11.14) and Sunday (02.11.14) to care for her eight-year-old daughter Matilda, who was involved in an accident last Friday (31.10.14) which left her with burns.
A spokesperson for BBC One has now confirmed Claudia will not be at work again this week, saying: "Zoe Ball will co-host 'Strictly Come Dancing' this weekend. All our thoughts and very best wishes are with Claudia and her family at this time."
Matilda had to be rushed to hospital after the fancy dress outfit she was wearing for Halloween came in contact with a pumpkin candle while she was out trick or treating near her family home in West London.
The youngster is expected to remain in hospital for the next few weeks to be treated for her injuries.
A statement issued on behalf of Claudia and her family said: "She is having the best care possible and we are hopeful of a full recovery. We would like to thank everyone that has been so supportive and particularly the NHS doctors, nurses and staff who have been absolutely incredible. We would like to take this opportunity to remind anyone taking part in fireworks parties or Guy Fawkes celebrations to be vigilant about the dangers of candles, open fires and fireworks and to be please have the appropriate safety measures in place and to hand."
The 42-year-old TV star is married to film producer Kris Thykier and as well as Matilda they have two sons, Jake and Arthur.

Vince Gill was presented with the Icon Award at the 2014 BMI Country Awards last night (04.11.14). The 57-year-old singer-songwriter was honoured at the event where his illustrious career - in which he has released more than 20 studio albums and sold ...