It’s difficult to talk about tourism during the worldwide pandemic and amidst so many restrictions. Also, it’s not surprising that many people have stopped traveling. While some wait for better traveling conditions, others are afraid for their health.
Still, there’s much to talk about when New York tourism is in question: the most prominent places, how it impacts the New York state’s economy, reasons to visit New York, etc.
That’s why we’ve compiled some of the most informative New York tourism statistics for you, so keep reading.
Key New York Tourism Stats (Editor’s Choice)
- It’s estimated that more than 70 million tourists will visit New York City in 2025.
- New York tourism has the most significant impact on the food and beverage industry.
- Tourists spent $47 billion per year in New York before the pandemic.
- Visitors to New York tend to spend the most money on lodging.
- International tourists tend to spend 4 times more than domestic tourists.
- 20% of both domestic and international tourists visit New York for business purposes.
- Without tourism, the unemployment rate in New York would be 8.5% higher.
- 60% of those who work in the tourism industry don’t have a bachelor’s degree.
General New York Tourism Statistics
1. It is estimated that over 70 million tourists will visit New York City in 2025.
(Osc.State)
Even though the pandemic has devastated US tourism, it’s predicted that a record number of visitors will come to New York in 2025.
However, it’s important to note that the number of visitors to New York City decreased by 67% in 2020 compared to 2019, when there was a record number of tourists.
2. Tourism accounts for 4.5% of private sector wages in New York.
(Osc.State)
Tourism is an important part of New York’s economy. It accounts for 7.2 percent of private-sector workforce and 4.5 percent of wages.
Furthermore, it supported a staggering 376,800 jobs in 2019. Nonetheless, the hotel industry in Manhattan (which has the highest wages in general) lost 46% of its jobs in 2020.
3. The number of tourists visiting New York City in 2021 was 1.7 million lower than expected.
(NY Times)
New York City tourism statistics reveal that there was hope that tourists would soon return to New York City in significant numbers. Still, it appears that the Omicron variant made them rethink their traveling plans.
Unfortunately, it’s is expected that there will be 1.3 million fewer visitors in 2022 than previously estimated.
4. New York tourism impacts the food and beverage industry the most.
(ESD)
Although tourism directly affects the logging industry the most, the food and beverage industry is still in the first place, as there’s both indirect and induced influence on it.
Other industries worth mentioning are the retail trade, air transport, recreation, and entertainment industries. The air transport industry is over 95% directly influenced by tourism in New York.
5. New York City saw its highest number of tourists in 2019 with an estimated 66.6 million visitors.
(Osc.State)
In 2019, the number of international tourists visiting New York City reached a historic high of 66.6 million people.
New York tourism stats reveal that a staggering 265.5 million tourists visited New York State, and New York City hosted 25% of them. That means that New York City is undoubtedly the most popular place to stay in this state.
6. Travel agencies in New York should reach $2.9 billion in revenue by the year 2024.
(Statista)
According to Statista’s report, it’s predicted that the revenue of travel agencies in New York will be even higher than in 2019 (when it was 2.5 billion).
If these predictions turn out to be correct, travel agencies can expect a steady increase in revenue until 2024.
New York Tourism Stats Regarding Demographics, Tourist Behavior, and Revenues
(Soocial)
New York travelers are starting to feel safe enough to get back on the road again. The chart below shows the estimated monthly Google searches involving different New York travel-related terms.
Here are some key observations:
- Google searches for ‘new york hotels’ increased by more than 100% over the last three months reaching an all-time high of approximately 1 million monthly searches.
- The number of people searching for ‘things to do in new york’ is also on a steady rise and is now at around 100,000 searches per month, compared to the low of just 9900 searches in April 2020.
- Google searches for ‘flights to new york’ have increased by 172% since May 2020, and are expected to continue increasing.
The numbers show that travel restrictions have been lifted, and people are ready to explore the world again. But what might be more interesting than the increase itself is that it shows a renewed sense of hope and optimism in the travel industry—after a year of pandemics and lockdowns, people are thinking about vacationing again.
8. A majority of bookings in New York City remain domestic.
(NBC New York)
NYC tourism stats indicate that the majority of tourists in New York are domestic, which isn’t surprising. Nevertheless, it’s expected that the number of international visitors to New York City will double in 2022.
9. Tourists spent $47 billion annually in New York before the pandemic.
(NY Times)
The New York tourism agency plans to start a campaign in several countries to attract tourists after the coronavirus pandemic. Since they spent nearly $50 billion in New York every year, this campaign is crucial and most likely to succeed.
10. 65% of all tourist spending is made in New York City.
(ESD)
According to the New York City tourism numbers and figures, New York City is the place where most tourists spend their money. New York State is divided into 11 different tourism regions with New York City accounting for 65% of all state visitor spend.
Apart from that, 9% of spending is spent in Long Island, 6% in Hudson Valley, 4% in Niagara, and 4% in Finger Lakes. Only 1% is spent in Thousand Islands and Chautauqua Athenaeum.
Thus, New York City, Long Island, and Hudson Valley are the three largest tourist destinations, together accounting for 80% of total state visitor spending.
11. Tourism is most important to the Adirondacks, as it generates 19% of its total employment.
(ESD)
Tourism is a major source of employment in the Adirondacks and Catskills.
The Adirondacks is about four hours north of Manhattan, and regions like this one are highly dependent on tourism. At the same time, Catskills generate 17% of total employment because of tourism.
These regions also benefit the most when direct tourism is in question.
12. Visitors to New York spent $73.6 billion in 2019
(ESD)
Tourism statistics on New York visitors reveal that tourists spent $21.4 billion on lodging in 2019, and $17.9 billion on food and beverages. Recreational activities accounted for 7% of visitor spending ($7.3 billion) in the same year.
13. In 2024, the number of international visitors in New York City is estimated to reach 13.4 million.
(NYC Go)
Attracting domestic visitors isn’t as challenging as bringing back international tourists. While it’s predicted that 55.8 million domestic tourists will visit, only 13.4 million international visitors are likely to come to New York City.
It’s important to mention that there were only 4.7 million international tourists in 2021.
14. International tourists to New York City spend 4 times as much money as US residents do.
(Forbes)
New York City tourism stats regarding tourist behavior indicate that international tourists stay longer and spend more money. Even though international travel comprises only 20% of visitor volume during the year, it accounts for 50% of tourism spending.
That’s logical since it’s much easier for domestic tourists to visit New York, and international tourists want to make the most of it.
15. Chinese visitors to NYC spend an average of $3,008 per trip.
(Osc.State)
Chinese tourists undoubtedly spend the most if we exclude the data about the share of visitors. However, the UK has the highest share of visitors, and it’s the crucial foreign source of visitors to New York City.
16. The Metropolitan Museum of Art receives an average of 6 million visitors a year, but only 1.12 million visited in 2020.
(Statista)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a popular tourist attraction and as already mentioned, the number of tourists in all such places is considerably lower.
For example, New York tourism stats show that the average number of Metropolitan Museum of Art visitors was only 1.12 million in 2020.
17. Only 0.58 million people visited the Statue of Liberty in 2020.
(Statista)
Although over 4 million tourists have visited The Statue of Liberty since 2014, their number decreased drastically in 2020, when only 576,396 people visited.
A similarly drastic decrease in visitation happened in 2013 when the monument was closed because of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.
18. 20% of all tourists visit New York City for business.
(Osc.State)
International tourists are more likely to travel to New York City for leisure than domestic visitors. Still, only 17% of international and 22% of domestic tourists come to New York City for business reasons.
Other Intriguing New York State Tourism Statistics
19. In New York City, around 60 international cuisines are served in 23,000 restaurants.
(The Culture Trip)
There are so many cuisines you can try in New York City. That’s what attracts tourists the most, apart from beautiful museums and iconic places like Times Square and The Statue of Liberty.
Chefs are constantly working on innovations, so there’s always something new to try out.
20. The Smorgasburg open-air market attracts 20,000 to 30,000 people every weekend.
(Planetware)
The Smorgasburg open-air market is the largest weekly food market in New York and is immensely popular among tourists. It’s organized in collaboration with the New York Greenmarket and Brooklyn Flea Market and up to 30,000 people visit it each weekend.
21. The unemployment rate in New York without tourism would be 8.5% higher.
(ESD)
Without tourism and the jobs it brings, New York’s unemployment rate would be 12.5% (8.5% higher). That’s because some regions in New York mainly depend on tourism when employment is in question.
Still, the unemployment rate in highly populated places, such as New York City, would be considerably higher without tourism.
22. In the heart of New York City, Times Square attracts 50 million tourists each year.
(Arts and Culture)
Times Square is one of the most visited tourist attractions both in New York and worldwide, drawing approximately 50 million visitors per year.
In addition, NYC tourism statistics reveal that more than 460,000 pedestrians walk through this square on its busiest days, and many of them are tourists.
23. Only 2.1% of Airbnb guests in New York were international visitors in May 2020.
(Statista)
Although this statistic seems discouraging, the low number of international Airbnb guests in 2020 goes hand in hand with the influence of the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, we can expect this percentage to go up once the pandemic is over.
24. 83% of employees in the tourism industry are residents of New York City.
(Osc.State)
New York tourism statistics reveal that most people who work in the tourism industry are self-employed, and almost nearly a third are part-time workers. Also, 41% of employees are under the age of 35.
25. 60% of tourism industry employees don’t have a bachelor’s degree.
(Osc.State)
Luckily, a bachelor’s degree isn’t mandatory for most top occupations in the tourism industry. Apart from that, it appears that more than 80% of tourism industry employees come from Asia or Latin America. Furthermore, almost two-thirds are minorities.
Related Questions
What percentage of the NYC economy is tourism?
Tourism accounts for 4.5% of private-sector wages and 7.2% of private-sector employment in NYC. In addition to that, it indirectly supported 376,800 jobs in 2019.
For instance, New York City hosted 66.6 million people in 2019, around 25% of the US’s 265.5 million visitors that year. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has harmed tourism in New York, so this percentage is probably lower in 2022.
Is tourism down in New York City?
Tourism has been down almost everywhere since the coronavirus outbreak and so many restrictions that came after it. Also, it seemed that tourists have started to come back, but the Omicron variant has put it to a halt again.
Since we don’t know if the virus will mutate again and the pandemic isn’t over yet, we can’t know for sure if the situation with tourism in New York city will improve anytime soon.
How much does tourism bring to NYC?
According to the statistics based on a comprehensive report from 2019, visitor spending was $73.62. The direct tourist spending amounts to $64.8 billion, while the total business sales stand at $105 billion.
There’s little data on tourism during the coronavirus. It should be taken into account that tourism was one of the industries that were hit by the coronavirus pandemic the most.
Why does New York attract tourists?
Apart from Manhattan, there are many places to go to in New York. For instance, it has some of the best museums and galleries in the world, along with many theaters close to Times Square. In addition, the view from the Empire State Building is breathtaking, and taking a picture in Times Square is also a must.
Apart from that, there are over 60 cuisines from all over the world people can try out in around 23,000 restaurants. Also, it’s hard not to mention the Statue of Liberty when talking about New York tourism.
How many tourists visit New York every year?
The numbers in the past couple of years aren’t as high as before. Still, if we analyze some older data before the coronavirus pandemic, we can estimate that there were around 265.5 million US visitors in 2019, of which 66.6 million tourists visited New York City.
However, New York tourism statistics point out that the number of tourists in New York City was down by 67% in 2020. Still, the predictions for 2025 are promising, as it’s expected that there will be even more tourists than in 2019.
Conclusion
If you’re thinking about visiting New York, we support you, as there’s so much to see in this US state. It mostly attracts Americans, but people from all over the world come to New York every year.
New York City is one of the most popular places for tourists, which isn’t surprising. Still, you should definitely consider visiting other regions, as well.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has negatively influenced the number of tourists in this state, but the future predictions seem bright. In other words, we can expect even more tourists in New York once the pandemic ends.
Well, there you have it! 25+ New York tourism statistics that we’ve found super interesting and surprising. So? What did you think? Did any of these stats surprise you?
The biggest takeaway from all of this data?
New York City is the perfect destination for an avid tourist. It’s no wonder that more and more people are planning trips to the Big Apple every year. From the bright lights of Times Square to the historical monuments of Wall Street, NYC has something for everyone—and there’s no better time to visit than right now!
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