New York welcomes record number of tourists
The number of tourists to New York City will hit 54.3 million in 2013, a new all-time high.
The figure is an increase of nearly 20 million on 2002 figures, Mayor Michael Bloomberg will announce later today.
The Mayor will also say that the city is on pace to reach 55 million annual visitors by next year, one year ahead of his original goal of 2015.
The formal announcement will be made this evening at the NYC & Company Foundation Leadership Awards Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the Mayor will also be presented with the NYC & Company Leadership Award for his contributions to advancing the city’s tourism industry.
"Tourism plays a vital role in our city’s economy, and the work that we’ve done to strengthen tourism over the past 12 years has helped our city weather the national economic downturn and come out in far better shape than most other cities," said Mayor Bloomberg.
"Since 2002, overall tourism here has grown more than 50%, while international visitation has increased more than 100%.
"In addition, more and more people are visiting attractions outside of Manhattan, thanks in part to our efforts to support cultural organisations in neighbourhoods across the city."
Mayor Bloomberg’s announcement will come only a little more than a year after New York was battered by Storm Sandy, which brought severe flooding to many parts of the city.
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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