New York City 2009’s Most Popular U.S. Tourist Destination
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| Michael R Bloomberg, Mayor, New York City, Robert C. Lieber, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and George Fertitta, CEO, NYC & Company at the “Restaurant Week” promotion |
New York City was the most popular tourist destination in the United States in 2009 for the first time since 1990. The 45.25 million tourists exceeded projections, declining just 3.9 percent from 2008 versus the 10 percent expected. A 3.2 percent increase in tourism, with an estimated 46.7 million visitors, is expected in 2010.
This was announced by Michael R Bloomberg, Mayor, New York City, Robert C. Lieber, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and George Fertitta, CEO, NYC & Company.
Employment in the leisure and hospitality sector has fully rebounded and surpassed pre-recession levels. New York City remains the most popular destination in the nation for international visitors with 8.6 million international tourists in 2009 – twice as many as the nearest competitor, Los Angeles. The Mayor made the announcement at the Greenhouse Cafe in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where he was joined by New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council President Peter Ward, and Bobby Daquara and John Keegan, co-owners of the Greenhouse Café in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, a participating restaurant in NYC & Company’s upcoming “Restaurant Week” promotion.
“Over the past eight years, our efforts to make New York City an even more exciting place to visit have helped produce a record number of tourists and create thousands of jobs,” said Mayor Bloomberg.
“We expect that 2010 will be a year of recovery, and we will continue to find new ways to promote the City to all travelers,” said said George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company, the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of New York.
New York City surpassed Orlando in total visitors in 2009 after finishing second in 2008. The City remains on track to achieve its goal of 50 million annual visitors by 2012 despite the effects of the global recession. Approximately 311,000 people are currently employed in the leisure and hospitality industry in New York City – surpassing the 307,000 employed in late 2007 and marking the highest November employment level on record. The gains in employment touched all areas of the sector with employment at food service/restaurants and bars growing by 1.1 percent and employment in hotels growing by 2.6 percent compared to 2008.
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