2. At least a million of these tourists are domestic. Many Americans have been encouraged to travel by
a much lower unemployment rate, higher disposable income, cheaper air travel, and lower fuel
prices.
There is no clear data yet on how many foreign tourists visited NYC in 2017, but in 2015, they
composed 20% of all visitors. Most of them came from England followed by Canada, Brazil, China, and
France.
Due to a stricter foreign policy that includes a travel ban, the number of foreign visitors may
decrease. Nevertheless, New York should continue to attract them since they have a significant
contribution to the city’s tourism industry and economy.
New York City has done it again in terms of asserting itself as a leader in tourism in the United
States.
How Many People Visited New York?
Based on the new data provided by Mayor Bill de Blasio, there were 62.8 million tourists in the Big
Apple in 2017. It was a million more than their forecast and an increase of almost 2.5% compared to
2016. Furthermore, it represented the eighth year that the city has been breaking its tourist arrival
records.
3. contribution to the city’s tourism industry and economy.
Despite being a small percentage of the entire tourism arrivals, foreign visitors tend to spend the
most. In 2015 alone, they accounted for almost half of the tourism spending, which amounted to $42
million. On the average, a foreigner spent $1,600 per travel, which was over a thousand more than
the domestic tourists.
What Tourists Do
Tourism spending in New York is divided into five categories: lodging, transportation, food service,
retail and services, and recreation. In 2015 and 2016, lodging took over 25% of the total expenses of
the travelers followed by food at 23%. Transport slightly declined between the years while both retail
and recreation remained the same at 17% and 10%, respectively.
When it comes to recreation, most visitors consider nature trip as the favorite activity with Central
Park taking second place, according to TripAdvisor rankings. Performances, however, are also
appealing. Broadway, for example, took the eighth place. New York also placed first in 2015 in terms
of top-selling music venues. Within the same period, the city has sold 30% more tickets than London.
4. New York City may be a concrete jungle, but it offers versatility and variety that makes it even more
enticing for different types of travelers.
Sources:
https://mc34.com/
https://ny.curbed.com/2018/3/20/17144690/new-york-tourism-2017-nyc-and-company-records
http://mycrains.crainsnewyork.com/stats-and-the-city/2017/tourism/tourists-coming-into-new-york
https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/NYS_Tourism_Impact_2016.pdf
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/mome/pdf/MOME_Music_Report_2017_DIGITAL.pdf
