Grab a bagel, load up your MetroCard, and get ready to schlep across the city — or at least that’s what a record-number of visitors from all over the world did last year.
The Big Apple welcomed more than 62 million visitors last year, including 13.1 million international visitors, according to the mayor’s office.
Overall tourism jumped 3.8 percent compared to 2016, despite the fact that NYC & Company, the city’s tourism marketing group, predicted fewer foreign visitors in the wake of President Donald Trump’s travel ban. Domestic tourism had been predicted to rise.
The city welcomed an all-time high for both domestic and foreign travelers in 2017, the eight consecutive year tourism in the city has grown.
“We’re keeping our door to the world open,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “Even with all the headwinds from the White House, we attracted a record number of visitors to our city. That’s a testament to the strength of our tourism sector and the values of our city.”
Last year, NYC & Company had predicted that 300,000 fewer foreign tourists would come — adding it takes four domestic visitors to equal what one international tourist spends.
To help combat the rhetoric from Washington, the city launched a campaign last year called “New York City — Welcoming the World,” aimed at targeting such markets as the United Kingdom and Mexico.
The city also entered into several partnerships with international cities, including Cape Town and Toronto, as well as renewing its partnership with Mexico City.
According to NYC & Company, tourism in 2018 is projected to grow another 3.7 percent to 65.1 million visitors.
