A report from the state comptroller’s office revealed that the number of tourists visiting New York City in 2023 was about 7% less compared to 2019, with a total of 62.2 million visitors. Concerns about crime and high prices were cited as factors contributing to the slower recovery in tourism. The deployment of the National Guard in the subways and increased police presence were implemented in response to recent violent crimes, such as random stabbings of visitors in Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, and a Queens subway station.
International tourism was down by 14% compared to 2019, with visitors from the United Kingdom now representing the largest share. Chinese travelers, who were the largest group in 2019, were impacted by longer lockdowns and travel bans in their country. Despite the decrease in international tourism, domestic travelers, particularly those on leisure trips, showed improvement. The report noted that spending from international visitors is still down 20% from pre-pandemic levels, impacting the overall revenue generated in the tourism sector.
Domestic visitors to New York City increased by 7% from 2022 to 2023, but were still 5% lower compared to 2019. The return of conference-based business travelers is crucial for the city, as it lags behind other major urban centers in this area. While revenue and spending from tourism have increased overall, rising costs for hotel rooms and other services have contributed to this growth, according to the comptroller’s analysis. Despite the progress made, there are still nearly 30,000 fewer workers employed in the tourism-related sector compared to 2019.
The city’s hotel occupancy rate was 81.6% in 2023, which was the highest among top markets in the nation but lower than the 89.6% rate in 2019. This decrease in occupancy was partly attributed to the migrant crisis, leading to thousands of hotel rooms being taken off the market. The closure of small and medium-sized hotels, particularly in the outer boroughs, also impacted the overall profitability of the hotel industry in the city. Larger, more popular hotels in Manhattan charged an average of $301 per room, contrasting with the $156 per room paid to hoteliers for full occupancy.
Despite improvements in the number of tourists and revenue generated in New York City, the recovery in the tourism sector is not yet complete. The city is close to regaining all the jobs lost during the pandemic and could achieve this milestone by next year. However, the full return of international and business travelers is still needed to fully recover local jobs and ensure a complete revival of the tourism industry. The head of the New York City Hotel Association emphasized that the city tourism market still lags behind its competitors in other major international gateway cities and that perceptions of safety and high costs continue to impact visitor preferences.
