Domestic, luxury markets lead New York City tourism growth

New York City Tourism + Conventions has released its 2025 Annual Report, with the city’s tourism industry generating $84.7 billion in total economic impact in 2025 – and that includes $55.6 billion in direct spending.

The economic activity generated by tourism supported 397,000 jobs, benefiting thousands of small and minority-owned businesses across the five boroughs. Tourism also generated $7.5 billion in tax revenue, supporting the City’s overall economic health. The 2025 tourism data was announced at New York City Tourism + Conventions’ Annual Meeting for member businesses on March 18 at the Manhattan Center.

Julie Coker, President and CEO of New York City Tourism + Conventions, said: “In 2025, New York City’s tourism economy proved resilient despite global challenges, underscoring the enduring appeal of the five boroughs.”

Coker continued: “The international visitor market is crucial to our economy, accounting for 50% of tourism spending. Despite international declines, we saw growth across all our economic impact metrics: total direct visitor spending was more than $55 billion, which generated nearly $85 billion in economic impact for our city, flowing into hotels, restaurants, cultural institutions, retail and small businesses across all five boroughs. The impact of the tourism industry remains critical to the entire city.”

Charles Flateman, Board Chair of New York City Tourism + Conventions and Executive Vice President of The Shubert Organization, said that: “New York City’s domestic visitor market saw accelerated growth in 2025, as domestic travel remains the backbone of the tourism industry nationwide. Next year, we expect domestic travel to surpass record 2019 levels, signaling a major milestone and emphasizing the strength of our regional drive markets. The domestic market accounts for 80% of our visitation and overnight trips now account for 51% of this segment, contributing to New York City’s position as first in hotel occupancy in the US market.”

Highlights of the report included:

• Total visitation grew modestly to 65 million visitors, up 0.7% over 2024, led by domestic visitation.
• Domestic travel remained strong, accounting for 52.4 million visitors, up 1.7% over 2024. The top five feeder markets include the New York City tristate area; Philadelphia; Washington, DC; Los Angeles; and Boston.
• Overnight trips were up 2.3% over 2024 and continued to drive domestic travel, accounting for 51% of domestic visitation.
• International travel declined slightly due to global challenges, accounting for 12.5 million visitors, down 3.2% from 2024. This is a smaller decline than previously forecasted.
• Despite the decline, visitation increased year over year from the UK (1.3%), Italy (5.5%), and Mexico (1.8%).
• Leisure travel accounted for 52.4 million visitors, 99% of New York City’s peak levels in 2019.
• Business travel accounted for 12.6 million visitors, still slightly behind record 2019 levels. In 2025, New York City Tourism + Conventions booked 1,515 meetings and events, generating almost 345,000 definite room nights.
• Overall visitation generated $84.7 billion in total economic impact, including $55.6 billion in direct spending and $7.5 billion in local and state taxes.
• The tourism sector accounts for 397,000 jobs.

Looking ahead in 2026, New York City Tourism + Conventions is forecasting:

• In 2026, New York City is projecting 66.3 million visitors, a 2% increase over 2025.
• Domestic travel is expected to increase to 53.4 million visitors, surpassing record 2019 levels.
• International travel is expected to rebound from a lower 2025 back to 2024 levels at 12.9 million visitors. Growth is projected from all of New York City’s top 20 international markets.
• Business travel is expected to grow to 12.8 million visitors, a nearly 2% increase over 2025.
• The FIFA World Cup 26™ games are expected to drive 1.2 million visitors to the region (New York and New Jersey), generating $3.3 billion in economic impact, including $1.8 billion in direct spending, and contributing 26,000 jobs.

Guest speakers at this year’s annual meeting included Mayor Mamdani; Alex Lasry, CEO, New York New Jersey Host Committee, Bruce Revman, Co-Host City Manager, New York New Jersey Host Committee, and Cate Netscher, Founder & CEO, Neurun to present an update on FIFA World Cup 26 activations; and Chris O’Brien, President, Sail4th 250 to present an update on the historic event.

Go to www.nyctourism.com/research for more.

Photos courtesy of New York City Tourism + Conventions