New York City drew a record-breaking 48.7 million visitors in 2010.
The 6.8% rise was higher than projected and means the city is closer to achieving its target, set in 2007, of attracting 50 million annual visitors by 2012.
The City’s Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, said: “The strength of our tourism industry is one of the reasons New York City was less impacted by the national recession than other cities, and it continues to be one of the reasons we’re growing faster than other cities today.
“The industry employed more New Yorkers in 2010 than ever before, and the $31 billion visitors spent this year supported our restaurants, shops, hotels and cultural institutions. We’re constantly looking for ways to strengthen and diversify our economy, and growing our tourism industry is an important part of that work.”
Of the visitors, 39 million were from the U.S. and 9.7 million from abroad.
By Bev Fearis
