In an expected turn of events in New York’s tourism sector despite concerns of travel restrictions, a record 62.8 million tourists visited the city in 2017. This was according to the reports published by the official tourism marketing organization of the city, NYC & Company. This was the eighth successive year of success for New York City, especially in tourism. The number of tourists surpassed that of the preceding year by over 2.3 million people. Domestic visitors accounted for 49.7 million with the rest coming from overseas. The 2017’s record influx of tourists into the city was considered impressive considering the fact that policies established by the federal government had restricted traveling to the US in general.
Despite the state of uncertainty about traveling to the US, Mayor Bill de Blasio reiterated that New York City was open to the world. This was evident in the record number of tourists visiting the city. The much-advertised campaigns: “New York City – Welcoming the World” and “True York City” were considered successful in winning the attention of tourists from different parts of the world regardless of the restrictions coming from the federal government. Generally, there was a significant 3.8 percent growth in tourism where domestic tourism alone went up by 3.9 percent. International tourism on its part grew by 3.4 percent as put forward by the city officials.
With the increase in tourism numbers, the demand for hotel rooms in New York City also grew. There were an additional 4000 rooms made by the city in 2017 due to the developments that were realized as at then. In total, the number of hotel rooms went up to 116,500. This made New York City, the most lucrative hotel development pipeline in the entire United States as reported by representatives of NYC & Company representatives. Of those who traveled, 13 million were on a business trip to New York. Pegged on what happened in the past year, 2018 was also expected to record similar growth trends of an extra 3.7 percent where 65.1 million visitors are expected to tour the city.
It is no doubt that New York is a great destination for many people around the world and the city officials highlighted their focus on inviting more tourists to visit. This was important especially for the economic boost that they bring along together with the energy and fuss they create while on the streets of New York. The famous attraction sites in the city include the Theater District, the High Line and the Times Square just to mention but a few. For all these people to visit New York, it is usually a collective effort. There are various support sectors that contribute to the general feel and experience of all travelers to New York City. As per New York Pedicab Services Company, it is usually a great time of doing business where they offer tour guide services and means of transport to the tourists as they would need.
Important Tourism Developments in the City
The NYC & Company established many more partnerships with various city tourism boards in the same year than any other time in the past. There were tourism programs that were established with cities such as Tokyo, Cape Town, and Toronto to showcase the popular attractions of New York City and make an international appeal across the globe concerning them. There were notable attention-winning destinations that included the National Geographic’s Encounter: Gulliver’s Gate, the biggest interactive museum of miniatures around the world covering an area of 50,000-square-feet. Others included the NFL Experience, the Skyscape spy museum, and Ocean Odyssey.
Over and above that, the NYC ferry system that was started in May 2017, offering quick access via the waterways in the city made it a lot easier to tour these great destinations. Ideally, this was the first time that New York had received over 60 million visitors. This success was achieved amidst fears of a decline in the number of international tourists following the travel ban by President Donald Trump. This was more especially traveling to and from six Muslim nations.
Future of Tourism in New York City
Despite the uncertainties caused by government policies and the American dollar among other issues, New York continues to be a number one destination for many people around the world. The NYC & Company has shown commitment in its efforts to sustain this image and reputation that will, in turn, keep more and more tourists coming with the numbers expected to even go higher in 2018.
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