New York City has largely regained its vibrant energy, welcoming over 64.3 million visitors in 2024, coming close to the historical peak of 67 million visitors in 2019, reaching 97% of that level. This makes 2024 the second-highest year for tourist numbers in the city’s history, generating $79 billion in revenue. By 2025, it is projected that visitor numbers will surpass pre-pandemic levels, signaling a comprehensive recovery for the city’s economy and tourism industry.
The Mayor of New York City, Adam Eric, recently commented, “This once again demonstrates that New York City is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States and a global hotspot for travel. Whether for business or leisure, the city’s five boroughs offer comprehensive facilities, from convention centers and theaters to restaurants and hotels, making New York City a hub of innovation, culture, and opportunity.”
Julie Coker, Chair of NYC & Company, stated that in 2024, visitors’ direct spending exceeded $51 billion, supporting over 388,000 leisure and hospitality jobs and generating $6.8 billion in tax revenue, benefiting numerous local and minority-owned businesses.
According to a report released by NYC Tourism+Conventions, the total number of international visitors to New York City in 2024 was 13 million, accounting for about 50% of spending across the five boroughs. Among them, visitors from the UK numbered 1.1 million, followed by Canada with around 1 million visitors. France, Brazil, and Italy rounded out the top five, each exceeding 700,000 visitors. China ranked sixth with 609,000 visitors, while Germany, Mexico, and Australia all saw visitor numbers exceed 500,000. Spain followed with 494,000 visitors, placing it in the top ten.
Domestic visitors from within the United States totaled 51.3 million, only 2 million lower than in 2019, primarily coming from the tri-state area, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Boston, and Los Angeles. Of these visitors, 26.5 million were overnight guests, accounting for 52% of domestic visitors, while day-trippers reached 24.8 million, fully recovering compared to 2019.
New York City remains the largest entry point to the United States, boasting the busiest airport system in the world with over 2,900 flights arriving weekly. Traffic at LaGuardia, JFK International, and Newark airports has exceeded pre-pandemic levels. In October 2024, which was historically the busiest month, there were 12.4 million passengers arrivals, with 4.3 million being international passengers, making it the busiest month for international travel in history.
The report also revealed that in 2024, visitor activities brought an economic impact of $79 billion to New York City and New York State, with direct spending growing by 3.5% compared to 2023. The increased tax revenue is equivalent to saving approximately $2,000 per New York City household. Additionally, the holiday shopping season attracted up to 4.4 million daily visitors, injecting $500 million into the local economy and creating 14,000 job opportunities.
It is projected that business visitors will increase to 12.5 million in 2024 and 13.1 million in 2025. Due to economic constraints and shifts in attitudes towards face-to-face meetings, the industry is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels in 2026. As of December 7, more than 2,000 conferences and events have been booked by the tourism association, resulting in over 295,000 room nights across the city.
Among the 25 largest destination cities in the United States, New York City’s hotel industry continues to perform strongly. As of November 2024, over 700 hotels in the city sold a total of 341 million room nights, representing a 4.1% increase compared to the previous year, but still 6% lower than 2019 levels. It is projected that the number of room nights sold in 2025 will approach 40 million, nearing pre-pandemic levels.
As of December 7, the city has approximately 122,600 active rooms. New York City plans to add 52 new hotels and 8,500 rooms by 2027.
The average daily hotel room rate this year was $303, marking a 4.9% increase from 2023. As of November, the hotel occupancy rate stood at 83.9%.
Travel demand is expected to grow moderately in 2025 and potentially exceed pre-pandemic levels, reaching 67.1 million visitors, indicating a full recovery of the tourism industry.
In 2026, the FIFA World Cup finals and several matches will be jointly hosted by New York and New Jersey, projected to attract over 1 million visitors and generate more than $2 billion in economic benefits.