New York is the most visited city in the US: how many tourists visited there in 2024
'25.12.2024'
ForumDaily New York
New York City is officially the most visited major city in the United States, with about 64,3 million travelers visiting the city this year, according to Time-out.
The data was published in a new report by New York City Tourism + Conventions. The 64,3 million travelers represent 97% of the record high of 2019, when the city was visited by nearly 67 million.
Who visited New York this year
The city was mostly visited by other Americans. The report shows that New York saw a lot of domestic tourism. People mainly came from Philadelphia, D.C., Boston and Los Angeles. There was also an increase in travelers from Europe.
On the subject: New York is recognized as the worst city in the world for drivers: people spend 100 hours a year in traffic jams
The UK remains the largest source of international travellers with 1,1 million visitors in 2024, followed by Canada with around 1 million visitors, then in descending order France, Brazil, Italy, China, Germany, Mexico, Australia and Spain.
Hotels and airports
In urban hotels, the number of hotel rooms sold increased by 4,1% year-over-year as of November 2024. Unfortunately, this is still 6% below the 2019 level. Interestingly, the average hotel room rate this year was $303. This is 5% higher than in 2023.
And as you might imagine, the airports in America’s most-traveled city had more flights than any other place in the U.S. The combined air traffic volume at LaGuardia, JFK and Newark exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Last October was the busiest ever, with 12,4 million passengers.
Entertainment industry
All these trips to New York, of course, means the city’s show business is humming. Broadway attendance is expected to reach about 12,5 million by the end of this year, up 9% from last year (but still down 8% from 2019). Meanwhile, Broadway’s 2024 gross is estimated at $1,5 billion, up 6% from 2023 and down 5% from 2019.
How much did the staff earn?
This trend has a profound impact on New York City’s finances. Tourism is estimated to have contributed about $2024 billion to the city and state economies in 79, including more than $51 billion in direct travel spending. Visitors spent more than $6,8 billion, helping save each New York City household about $2000 this year.
“New York City’s tourism sector continues to thrive, reflecting our city’s global appeal,” said Julie Coker, president and CEO of NYC Tourism + Conventions. “In 2024, we saw growth in both visitation and spending, a trend that supported more than 388 tourism and hospitality jobs. As we look to 000, we expect this momentum to continue, further strengthening New York City’s role in driving the state’s economy.”
In 2025, tourism and travel are expected to finally exceed pre-pandemic levels. In particular, tourism demand is projected to increase from 67,1 million travelers. This will mark a full recovery of tourism, the report says.
