The number of tourists to New York City will hit 54.3 million in 2013, a new all-time high.
The figure is an increase of nearly 20 million on 2002 figures, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced.
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.
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 formal announcement will be made this evening at the NYC & Company Foundation Leadership Awards Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the Mayor will also be presented with the NYC & Company Leadership Award for his contributions to advancing the city’s tourism industry.
"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%, while international visitation has increased more than 100%.
"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."
