It’s a tourism de pressure.
The Huge Apple ushered in a whopping 64.3 million guests in 2024 — and is on monitor to bounce again to pre-COVID tourism ranges subsequent yr, officers mentioned.
This yr’s comeback marked the second-highest vacationer rely in metropolis historical past, and mirrored a 3.5% enhance in guests from 2023, in accordance with a report from the New York Metropolis Tourism + Conventions group.
“New York stays essentially the most visited metropolis in the US and a high vacation spot for worldwide markets and main occasions,” mentioned the report, launched this month.
The variety of vacationers this yr fell simply in need of 2019’s record-setting 66.6 million — however 2025 will convey much more sightseers to the 5 boroughs, town’s official tourism group predicted.
Greater than 67 million guests are anticipated to be welcomed into the Huge Apple in 2025, marking a a “full restoration” again to pre-pandemic ranges, per the report.
“New York Metropolis has as soon as once more solidified its place because the premier vacation spot within the nation and one of many high journey spots on the earth,” Mayor Eric Adams mentioned in an announcement, “and we’re trying ahead to beating our personal tourism report subsequent yr with a full restoration.”
The pre-pandemic yr of 2019 noticed the highest variety of vacationers scrambling to New York Metropolis to this point. It marked town’s tenth consecutive record-breaking yr for guests, in accordance with the New York State Comptroller’s Workplace.
The COVID-19 pandemic “decimated the tourism sector, inflicting the variety of vacationers to town to drop considerably,” in accordance with the state comptroller’s workplace. “Consequently, customer spending dropped by practically three-quarters, costing town $1.2 billion in misplaced tax revenues in 2020.”
Tourism {dollars} generated over $6.8 billion in tax income this yr, which saved New York households a mean of $2,000 every, in accordance with the mayor’s workplace.
Vacationers spent $51 billion immediately, together with on lodging, eating, leisure and artwork and cultural sights, the New York Metropolis Tourism + Conventions report discovered.
These spending {dollars} included Broadway present tickets, with attendance anticipated to succeed in 12.5 million by the tip of 2024 — up 9% from final yr, however nonetheless down 8% from 2019, the tourism bureau mentioned.
By November 2024, town’s 700-plus accommodations bought 24.1 million room nights – a 4.1% enhance from final yr, although nonetheless 6% underneath 2019’s degree.
The common every day price of a room this yr was $303, up 4.9% from 2023, the report added.
“In 2024, we noticed progress in each visitation and spending, reaching an estimated complete direct spend of greater than $51 billion throughout town and state,” NYC Tourism + Conventions President and CEO Julie Coker mentioned in an announcement.
“This restoration supported over 388,000 leisure and hospitality jobs, and generated greater than $6.8 billion in tax income, benefiting native companies,” Coker added. “As we look forward to 2025, we count on this momentum to proceed, additional strengthening NYC’s function in driving the state and native economic system.”
A lot of this yr’s 51.3 million home guests hailed from different cities – like Boston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, in accordance with the report.
The Huge Apple additionally noticed a rise in European vacationers, with about 13 million worldwide arrivals — representing 50% of spending throughout the 5 boroughs, the group mentioned.
Most worldwide vacationers hailed from the U.Ok., with about 1.1 million guests in 2024, adopted by Canada at 1 million and France, Brazil and Italy with greater than 700,000 vacationers every. China adopted with about 609,000 guests, and Germany, Mexico and Australia accounted for about 500,000 guests every, in accordance with the report.
This yr can also be on monitor to be the busiest yr ever for airports, the tourism group discovered, noting that October 2024 already marked essentially the most bustling October of all time, with 4.3 million worldwide passengers flowing by the New York Metropolis space’s business airports.
“Regardless of this progress, challenges stay,” the tourism report discovered, “together with trade charges, visa entry and air journey capability, which proceed to impression enterprise journey and long-haul worldwide markets.”
On the identical time, greater than $20 billion is being invested throughout JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty Worldwide airports to “enhance vacationers’ experiences and assist continued progress,” the report mentioned.
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