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Tourists Came in Record Numbers in 2010, Mayor Bloomberg Says

By DNAinfo Staff on January 4, 2011 2:00pm

NYC ended the year by breaking the record for tourists and visitors to the city.
NYC ended the year by breaking the record for tourists and visitors to the city.
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Mario Tama/Getty Images

By Jill Colvin

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

BROOKLYN — Nearly 48.7 million tourists visited New York City last year — the most on record — despite the still-sluggish economy, according to preliminary numbers released by the city Tuesday.

The numbers top the previous record of 47 million visitors in 2008 and are up 6.8 percent from 2009, when the city saw a dip. The city has set a goal of reaching 50 million visitors by 2012.

"This was a year for the tourism record books," Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

The numbers included 39 million visitors from across the U.S and 9.7 million higher-spenders from abroad — a 13 percent jump from 2009. Combined, they spent $31 billion in the city, the mayor’s office said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he doesn't think bad press from the recent snow storm will scare away tourists.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he doesn't think bad press from the recent snow storm will scare away tourists.
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DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

The record-breaking stats make the city the country’s top tourist destination for the second year in a row.

Bloomberg credited investments in the city’s arts and cultural institutions as well as new marketing efforts by the city for continuing to attract tourists through the recession.

Attendance at cultural institutions and museums was up in 2010, with new records at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Broadway attendance is also up nearly 4 percent from last season so far, the mayor said.

Asked if the botched cleanup of the post-Christmas blizzard may have hurt the city’s standing among potential visitors, Bloomberg disagreed, saying he thought tourists would understand.

"Most of these people, remember, from around the world and around the country come from cities. They have problems. So they’re understanding," he said.

In addition to the higher tourism numbers, the city also added and rented out a record-number of hotel rooms in 2010, despite nightly stays now averaging a hefty $309 a night, Deputy Mayor Robert Steel said.

Bloomberg said he hoped for even better numbers next year.

"We have a big encore in mind," he said.