New York City Draws Record 48.7 Million Visitors in 2010

A blizzard in late December did little damage to New York City tourism, which reported record-breaking numbers for 2010. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert Steel and NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta said New York City drew 48.7 million visitors in 2010. The higher-than-projected 6.8 percent increase over 2009 keeps New York 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.

New York’s hospitality industry also added 6,600 jobs over the past year, employing more New Yorkers in 2010 than ever before. In 2010, New York set a record for hotel rooms added and hotel rooms sold, while attendance at cultural institutions rose.

Even as local economies across the country remained sluggish following the national recession, 2010 was a banner year for New York City’s hospitality industry and cultural community. In 2010, 48.7 million people visited New York City, up 6.8 percent from 2009 and surpassing early projections of 47.5 million; 39 million of the visitors were from the U.S. and 9.7 million from abroad, both records.

The hospitality industry added 6,600 jobs over the past year across all industry sub-sectors. The industry employs the most people in summer, and July 2010 set an all-time record for total jobs with 323,200. The annualized average jobs for 2010 through November was 315,000, an all-time high, and all of 2010 is expected to set the new record when December job data is released later this month.

Some 25.7 million room nights were sold in New York, a new record, exceeding the previous high by two million room nights. A net total of nearly 7,000 new hotel rooms were added to the city’s inventory, a 7 percent increase over 2009. Average daily room rates rose to $330 in December 2010, an 8.9 percent increase over 2009.

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 5 percent. Broadway attendance, a key measure of the health of New York tourism, so far this season is above 7.55 million, up 3.8 percent from this point last season.

Throughout 2010, the Bloomberg administration said it continued to invest in the tourism industry and initiate new programs to attract visitors. NYC & Company launched programs - such as NYC Restaurant Week, Fashion’s Night Out, Get More NYC, On the House, Signature Collection Third Night Free and Culture Spot - which helped contribute to the record number of visitors to the City in 2010.

In addition, NYC & Company launched a first-ever “Live More Tour,” a collaborative effort to bolster tourism and promote travel between New York City and Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles. NYC & Company also showcased attractions throughout the five boroughs globally through participation at several key travel and conventions, meetings and trade shows.