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Record number of tourists flood city

By David Freedlander | dfreedlander@am-ny.com

January 14, 2008

Ann and Angela Rooney didn't know it, but they were two of 46 million.

The 46 million, that is, who visited the city in 2007, a 6 percent increase above the previous year, according to a city report released Sunday. Indeed, tourism brought in $28 billion to the city last year, a 3 percent jump from 2006.

Apparently visitors like the Rooneys, a mother and daughter from Ireland, can't get enough of the Big Apple. And by the looks of their overstuffed bags from the Century 21 discount department store, they can't get their fill of the city's shopping. "We want to see everything," said the elder Rooney, 55, listing trips to Macy's and Ground Zero on their week-long itinerary. "We visited last year as well. It's a lot cheaper to come here," referring to the cheap dollar.

Though for some New Yorkers fed up with the clogged streets around Times Square, tourists aren't so welcome.

"I don't know why they all come here," said Russell Woods, 63, as he swerved around a group waiting for one of the tour buses in Times Square. "This place is a dump."

More than 8 million visitors to the city came from overseas, even as international travel to other American destinations declined.

"Wherever you go in the city you hear language after language," said George Fertitta, chief executive of NYC & Company, the city's marketing and tourism organization, which issued the report. "Tourism has become part of the vibrancy of the city."

City officials hope that tourism dollars can keep the local economy pumping even if Wall Street loses steam.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has set a goal of 50 million annual visitors by 2015, and with yesterday's announcement, officials believe they are three years ahead of schedule to meeting that goal.

"People around the world see New York as a place to call a second home," said NYC & Company spokeswoman Kimberly Spell. "Tourism saves every New Yorker $1,000 a year on their tax bill. Tourism is the only sector you can point to that is enjoying an increase of jobs."

But some cautioned against the city coming to depend too much on the fanny packs of the "I Love New York" T-shirt crowd.

"Cities should never put too much emphasis on tourism and hospitality jobs," said Jonathan Bowles, director of the Center for an Urban Future. "I know they want tourism to make up for the manufacturing jobs we've lost, but jobs in the hospitality sector tend to be relatively low-paying."

Economists agreed.

"It's nice to have a strong tourism sector but overall it doesn't have a huge impact," said Jason Bram, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank. "It's far more important to have a good year on Wall Street than to have a good year for tourism."

By the numbers, 2007:
46 million visitors to NYC
6% increase over 2006
8.5 million visitors from overseas
Visitors spend an estimated $28 billion in NYC