The New York Times reported recently that New York City tourism has been rising steadily for years. At least 67 million are expected this year, boosted in part by Gay Pride events centered around the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. New York City tourism is 50% higher than it was in 2007, when Mayor Bloomberg launched a drive to boost the number of visitors to the city. Tourism is a huge industry that brings in millions of tax dollars. NYC & Company, once private, is now a city agency.
Surprisingly, despite recent anti-Chinese trade moves by Trump, Chinese tourism continues to increase and is second in the nationality of annual visitors. Britain comes first, and Canada ranks after China. The 2018 totals for these three groups were: Britain, 1.4 million; China, 1.24 million; and Canada, 1 million. New York City is the sixth most popular tourist destination in the world; it’s behind Bangkok, London, Paris, Dubai and Singapore. Included in the tourist numbers are the day-trippers; people who come for the day from over 50 miles away.
New York City, of course, has many attractions. For example, it is one of the top culinary destinations of the world. The entertainment and cultural arts are unlimited in their reach, as the city is a major cultural capital of the world. Harlem and the East Village are popular for music tours. The city has 28,000 acres of parkland and 14 linear miles of public beaches. Central Park is the most visited city park in the United States.
—Carol Yost
