NEW YORK CITY America’s largest city expects to host some 47.5 million visitors this year, which would be a record figure and would top last year’s mark by about 4.5%.
New York City drew 8.8% more tourists in the first half year over year, with international travel rebounding the most, according to internal estimates publicized this week by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The city’s average occupancy rate jumped 6.8% in the first half, despite a substantial influx of hotel inventory over the past year, with hotel tax revenue climbing a whopping 25%, to US$178 million.
Other tourism statistics are likewise positive for the city. Ticket sales to Broadway shows are up 3.7% this year—an increase of 6 million tickets sold—and an estimated 320,000 jobs were added across the city’s leisure and hospitality sector.
The city’s previous record for tourism came in 2008, when 47 million people visited the Big Apple.