Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, NYC & Company Chair Emily Rafferty, and NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta have announced that New York has set a new tourism record for 2013.
With 54.3 million visitors, 2013 was saw nearly 20 million additional annual tourists over 2002. By the end of this year, visitors to New York City will have generated $58.7 billion in overall economic impact and $39.4 billion in direct spending, while jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector are anticipated to reach a monthly average of more than 370,000 by year’s end, demonstrating the importance of the tourism and hospitality industry to New York City and its economy. The Mayor also announced today that the City is on pace to reach 55 million annual visitors by next year, one year ahead of his original goal of 2015.
The good news comes as New York and New Jersey gear up for Super Bowl XLVIII this February. A recent study by hospitality reputation management firm TrustYou found that New York is the highest-rated destination among major U.S. markets by social sentiment.
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Also recently, NYC & Company boosted tourism to the city with the return of the popular Sunday Night Stays promotion. This program offers special resources for travelers to take advantage of Sunday deals available in the city, including theater matinees and restaurant offers.
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“Tourism plays a vital role in our city’s economy, and the work that we’ve done to strengthen tourism over the past 12 years has helped our city weather the national economic downturn and come out in far better shape than most other cities,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Since 2002, overall tourism here has grown more than 50 percent, while international visitation has increased more than 100 percent. In addition, more and more people are visiting attractions outside of Manhattan, thanks in part to our efforts to support cultural organizations in neighborhoods across the city.”
In 2012, 52.7 million visitors came to New York City – a record high at the time. This year’s new record of 54.3 million visitors represents a nearly 54 percent increase since 2002, when the City was attracting approximately 35 million visitors.
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