Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel and NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta today announced New York City drew a record-breaking 48.7 million visitors in 2010.
The higher-than-projected 6.8 percent increase over 2009 keeps the City on pace to meet its goal of attracting 50 million annual visitors by 2012 - a goal set by the Bloomberg Administration in 2007, prior to the national recession.
The hospitality industry added 6,600 jobs over the past year, employing more New Yorkers in 2010 than ever before.
In 2010, New York City set a record for hotel rooms added and hotel rooms sold, while attendance at cultural institutions rose.
Mayor Bloomberg was joined at the announcement at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Council Member Karen Koslowitz and Brooklyn Botanic Garden President Scot Medbury.
"This past year was New York City's most successful year for tourism ever, and we're well on our way to achieving our goal of attracting 50 million visitors a year," said Mayor Bloomberg. "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."
The mayor's press release noted that 39 million of the visitors were from the U.S. and 9.7 million from abroad - both records, It also said that 25.7 million room nights were sold, a new record, exceeding the previous high by 2 million room nights and that a net total of nearly 7,000 new hotel rooms were added to the City's inventory, a seven percent increase over 2009.
Average daily hotel room rates rose to $330 in December 2010, an 8.9 percent increase over 2009, the release said.
New York City's 1,200 nonprofit cultural organizations, which generate an estimated $18 billion in economic activity due to tourism, reported an average attendance increase of five percent, and Broadway attendance so far this season is above 7.55 million, up 3.8 percent from this point last season.
The higher-than-projected 6.8 percent increase over 2009 keeps the City on pace to meet its goal of attracting 50 million annual visitors by 2012 - a goal set by the Bloomberg Administration in 2007, prior to the national recession.
The hospitality industry added 6,600 jobs over the past year, employing more New Yorkers in 2010 than ever before.
In 2010, New York City set a record for hotel rooms added and hotel rooms sold, while attendance at cultural institutions rose.
Mayor Bloomberg was joined at the announcement at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Council Member Karen Koslowitz and Brooklyn Botanic Garden President Scot Medbury.
"This past year was New York City's most successful year for tourism ever, and we're well on our way to achieving our goal of attracting 50 million visitors a year," said Mayor Bloomberg. "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."
The mayor's press release noted that 39 million of the visitors were from the U.S. and 9.7 million from abroad - both records, It also said that 25.7 million room nights were sold, a new record, exceeding the previous high by 2 million room nights and that a net total of nearly 7,000 new hotel rooms were added to the City's inventory, a seven percent increase over 2009.
Average daily hotel room rates rose to $330 in December 2010, an 8.9 percent increase over 2009, the release said.
New York City's 1,200 nonprofit cultural organizations, which generate an estimated $18 billion in economic activity due to tourism, reported an average attendance increase of five percent, and Broadway attendance so far this season is above 7.55 million, up 3.8 percent from this point last season.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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