Over 64 million visitors flock to NYC in 2024, while Big Apple tourism to fully recover from COVID by next year

It is a tourism de force.

The Big Apple brought in 64.3 million visitors in 2024 — and is on track to return to pre-COVID tourism levels next year, officials said.

This year’s return marked the second-highest number of tourists in the city’s history and reflected a 3.5% increase in visitors from 2023, according to a report from the New York group Tourism + Conventions.

“New York remains the most visited city in the United States and a top destination for international markets and major events,” said the report released this month.

The number of travelers this year fell just short of 2019’s record 66.6 million – but 2025 will bring even more visitors to the five boroughs, the city’s official tourism organization predicted.

More than 67 million visitors are expected to be welcomed to the Big Apple in 2025, marking a “full recovery” to pre-pandemic levels, according to the report.

“New York City has once again solidified its position as a top destination in the country and one of the top travel destinations in the world,” said Mayor Eric Adams in a statement, “and we look forward to beating our record tourism year. next with a full recovery.”

The pre-pandemic year of 2019 saw the largest number of tourists heading to New York to date. It marked the city’s tenth consecutive record year for visitors, according to the New York State Comptroller’s Office.

The COVID-19 pandemic “destroyed the tourism sector, causing the number of travelers to the city to drop significantly,” according to the state comptroller’s office. “As a result, visitor spending fell by nearly three-quarters, costing the city $1.2 billion in lost tax revenue in 2020.”

Tourism dollars generated more than $6.8 billion in tax revenue this year, which saved New York families an average of $2,000 each, according to the mayor’s office.

Tourists spent $51 billion directly, including lodging, dining, entertainment and arts and cultural attractions, the New York Tourism + Conventions report found.

Those dollars spent included tickets to Broadway shows, with attendance expected to reach 12.5 million by the end of 2024 — up 9% from last year but still down 8% from 2019, the tourism bureau said.

By November 2024, the city’s more than 700 hotels sold 24.1 million room nights – a 4.1% increase on the previous year, though still 6% below 2019’s level.

The average daily cost of a room this year was $303, up 4.9% from 2023, the report added.

“In 2024, we saw growth in both visitation and spending, reaching a total estimated direct spending of more than $51 billion across the city and state,” the NYC Tourism president and CEO said in a statement. Conventions, Julie Coker.

“This recovery supported over 388,000 leisure and hospitality jobs, and generated more than $6.8 billion in tax revenue, benefiting local businesses,” Coker added. “As we look ahead to 2025, we expect this momentum to continue, further strengthening NYC’s role in driving the state and local economy.”

According to the report, many of this year’s 51.3 million domestic visitors come from other cities — such as Boston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

The Big Apple also saw an increase in European travelers, with around 13 million international arrivals – representing 50% of spending in the five boroughs, the organization said.

The majority of international travelers came from the UK, with an estimated 1.1 million visitors in 2024, followed by Canada with 1 million and France, Brazil and Italy with more than 700,000 tourists each. China followed with about 609,000 visitors, and Germany, Mexico and Australia accounted for about 500,000 visitors each, according to the report.

This year is also on track to be the busiest ever for airports, the tourism group found, noting that October 2024 already marked the busiest October ever, with 4.3 million international passengers passing through airports New York area merchants.

“Despite this growth, challenges remain,” the tourism report said, “including exchange rates, visa access and air travel capacity, which continue to impact business travel and international long-haul markets.”

At the same time, more than $20 billion is being invested at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports to “improve passenger experiences and support continued growth,” the report said.