Mayor Bloomberg Announces Revised 2011 New York City Tourism Figure - Record 50.5 Million Visitors

1/25/12


MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES REVISED 2011 NEW YORK CITY TOURISM FIGURE – RECORD 50.5 MILLION VISITORS, HIGHER THAN PREVIOUS ESTIMATE



New Year-End Figure is Higher than the 50.2 Million Estimated in December



New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and NYC & Company, New York City’s official marketing, tourism and partnership organization, today announced that the City ended the year with a new record 50.5 million visitors, slightly higher than the 50.2 million estimated visitors announced in December. NYC & Company also estimates that the city welcomed 40.2 million domestic visitors and 10.3 million international visitors. The overall figure is an increase of 3.5 percent increase over the 2010 figure of 48.8 million visitors. Visitor spending reached an estimated $32 billion, up from $31.5 billion in 2010. Warm weather at the end of December brought an influx of day-trip visitors to the city, contributing to the higher record-breaking total.



“The tourism industry remains a bright spot for New York City, contributing to more than 320,000 jobs across the five boroughs,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We not only achieved our goal to attract 50 million visitors a year ahead of schedule, we beat it by even more than we originally thought. The city’s diverse offerings, events and activities combined with a high quality of life continue to make New York City the world’s premier destination for both leisure and business travelers.”



“The holidays are peak travel period for New York City, and 2011 proved that once again with even higher visitation levels than initially anticipated,” said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. “The unseasonably warm weather during the last two weeks of the year provided an additional incentive for visitors to travel to New York City, helping the industry achieve its best year yet for overall visitation, spending and economic impact across the five boroughs.”



New York City’s tourism industry continues to benefit from strong traditional drive markets along the east coast, the continued importance of the city as a global business travel destination, the city’s strong position in European and Asian markets, and the outlook for emerging markets in South America, Asia and Oceania, and the Middle East.



Hotel occupancy closed with a year-end average of 85 percent. A record 27.15 million room nights were sold through the end of the year, a 5 percent gain over 2010 record levels.  Airport arrivals through November were 48.4 million, a 1.4 percent increase over 2010.  Non-commuter Amtrak arrivals through the end of year rose 7.4 percent to 4.27 million.



Attendance at a selection of cultural venues and tourist attractions reached a record 21.9 million visitors in 2011, a 3.4 percent increase over 2010.



Tourism remains the city’s fifth largest industry, employing more than 320,000 people.  New York City remains the number one port of entry for the U.S. and the city with the highest share of overseas visitation to the U.S. (33 percent) and highest tourism spending. New York City is the number one city tourism destination in the U.S.



NYC & Company is the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City worldwide. For more information, visit nycgo.com.



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Contact:  Kimberly Spell/Tiffany Townsend     NYC & Company     (212) 484-1270