LGBT tourists expected to make New York pilgrimage in 2019
New York is expecting a major boost in numbers next year due to the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which led to the gay liberation movement, and a number of large scale developments in the city.
An additional one million visitors are expected to descend on NYC for Pride in June 2019 to celebrate the anniversary, boosting total numbers for the month to around three million.
Chris Heywood, SVP of global communications for the tourist office NYC & Company, said the city, already known as the most LGBTQ-friendly city in the US, was hoping to gain a reputation as the leading destination in the world for LGBTQ travel.
"We are hoping 2019 will be a pilgrimage year," he said, "we are expecting more visitors in June for Pride, but also throughout the whole of 2019."
The city’s new Hudson Yards high-end residential, retail and entertainment neighbourhood will also open next year in the west side of Manhattan, close to the end of the High Line.
The new district will include an Equinox hotel, the ‘Shed’ arts centre, celebrity dining and the ‘Vessel’ centerpiece, which has already been nicknamed the US Eiffel Tower.
Other developments next year will include the opening of a new Statute of Liberty museum, the expansion of the Museum of Modern Art by a third, and the opening of new hotels including Six Senses, Hoxton, Aman and a new TWA hotel at JFK airport.
NYC & Company, which is in the UK on a promotional tour this week, is expecting visitor numbers from here to increase from 1.212 million in 2017 to 1.244 million this year.
"We are very focused on this market, which is number one for us," said Heywood. "The UK is top of our list."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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