Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Tourists visit the new interactive experience called "The Beam" at Rockefeller Center on December ...
[+] 12, 2023, allowing visitors to recreate the famed 1932 photo "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper," showing 11 workers eating lunch on a steel beam above Manhattan while 30 Rock was under construction. AFP via Getty Images The Twist? Visitors Want More Than Ever. We knew New York’s travel industry would recover from the pandemic—Gotham is the most visited city in the Western hemisphere.
McKinsey recently published an updated perspective about the Big Apple’s travel and tourism sector, showing a rebound from its pandemic lull. Our report states that about 62 million travelers arrived in 2023 , 93 percent of 2019 levels, including more than 11 million from overseas. While international arrivals are only 86 percent of 2019 levels, these visitors spent almost three times more than domestic travelers, proving that the city retains its international appeal .
What we didn’t know was how travel plans and trip itineraries would change. Times Square and the Empire State Building are still top draws, but more visitors are now venturing beyond Manhattan, staying longer, spending more time outdoors, and looking for more novel, immersive experiences. These have important implications for the travel and tourism industry—and New York’s economy.
Tourism generated $74 billion in economic impact in the city in 2023, and it’s on track to.