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A record 65.8 million tourists made their way to New York in 2018, marking the ninth consecutive year that the city saw an increase in tourism. Of those visitors, 51.6 million were domestic travelers, and 13.5 million came from overseas.
With the New Year well underway, New York may look to top 67 million visitors, as they prepare for events such as WorldPride - which is being celebrated in America for the first time - and Woodstock 2019.
New York is also teaming with Mastercard for a marketing campaign touting the Empire State internationally. Millions of dollars have been spent on the state’s annual advertising budget and tourism has gone from the state’s fourth-largest revenue drivers to its third, according to the annual Empire State Development report. Tourism generated an increased $108 billion last year, up from $105 million.
Tourism is the state’s fourth-largest industry, responsible for one in 12 jobs, and the third-fastest growing job sector.
“In addition to the signature initiatives, Empire State Development will oversee a strategic investment allocation and create public-private partnerships with companies primarily focused on health and life sciences, manufacturing and tourism,” officials said.
Empire State Development said that in the Hudson Valley, “a vacant Woolworth Building will become a ‘Rail Trail Commons’ with a covered corridor linking the city’s Heritage Trail with a planned Erie Way Park. The park, developed from a vacant lot, will become a new civic space with skateboarding, public art and a pavilion.
“ESD’s Division of Tourism promotes awareness of New York State as a tourism destination. Its mission is to inspire and encourage visitation to all of the state’s eleven vacation regions through a multi-pronged marketing program that includes advertising campaigns, digital platforms including the I LOVE NY website and social media, and public relations efforts such as media familiarization tours.”
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