Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC & Company recently announced that 2015 was the sixth consecutive year for record-breaking tourism, with the City welcoming an estimated 58.3 million visitors last year, an increase of 1.8 million visitors over a year ago. Visitation for 2015 comprised 46 million domestic and 12.3 million international visitors, both all-time highs. Hotel demand was also strong with a record 33.7 million hotel room-nights sold, and meeting and convention delegates reached new heights, with a total 6.1 million attendees. The announcement was made by NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon and Chairman of the Board of Directors Emily K. Rafferty during NYC & Company’s Executive Committee meeting this morning.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “Through the hard work of NYC & Company, and their support of the City’s various attractions—from restaurants to the performing arts and more—2015 marked a new milestone for NYC tourism. As the safest and most exciting big city in America, we have so many rich offerings that continue to make the five boroughs a global draw.”
Dixon added, “We are pleased to see a sixth year of tourism growth in New York City as we welcomed 58.3 million visitors last year. The City continues to evolve, always offering fresh reasons to visit again and again, with more new developments on the horizon. However, with the continuing pressure on the global economy and the strengthening dollar, we will all need to work even harder in 2016 to sustain our competitive edge.”
Even with the nearly 6,000 new rooms added to the City’s hotel inventory last year—bringing the total to nearly 107,000 rooms—the demand for NYC resulted in four per cent growth with the City selling a record 33.7 total hotel room-nights last year, 1.26 million more hotel room-nights sold compared with 2014. NYC has the most active hotel development pipeline in the US. Overnight visitation—a key component of total visitation—has grown approximately 3.2 per cent. (Visitors are defined as anyone who stays in NYC overnight or who travels one way from a distance of 50 miles or more for the day.)
In 2015 a record 6.1 million meetings and conventions delegates visited the City’s five boroughs, contributing to the total 12.3 million business travellers that came to New York City. This is up from last year’s six million in attendance.
Rafferty said, “Tourism continues to be a crucial component of New York City’s economy, and we’re fortunate to continue to sustain solid visitor growth year after year. The City has unparalleled vibrancy and energy and offers a multitude of options throughout all five boroughs. I want to thank NYC & Company’s more than 2,000 member businesses for their continued support of our City’s travel and tourism industry.”
