NYC On Track for Continued Growth

There's always something happening in NYC and people want to see it. The city saw 1,005,000 Canadian visitors in 2018 and is on track to achieve its tenth consecutive year of tourism growth with a forecast of 66.9 million visitors in 2019, including an estimated three percent increase in Canadian visitation.

“New York City welcomes all Canadians to discover both iconic and hidden gem experiences across the five boroughs,” said Reginald Charlot, NYC & Company Managing Director, Tourism Development for Established Markets. “Perfect for a getaway from Toronto and Montreal, New York City offers an abundance of options in entertainment, food, sports, art and culture just a short trip away.”

TravelPulse Canada talked with Charlot at their Toronto sales event Thursday, where he highlighted some of the new projects while reinforcing the city is safe.

"We are the safest city in the US," he explained. "Visitors have always been very safe in our city, there's also an abundance of police officers should you ever need them, but everybody is very in tune with each other and look out for one another. If someone ever saw something bad happening, you know a New Yorker's going to call them out on it," he chuckled.

New in NYC are things such as Hudson Yards, the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States which opened last year, and Vessel, a climbable urban landmark created by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, which opened in March. The Shed, a multi-arts centre dedicated to global displays of visual art, design, media, opened in April and May marked the opening of three major openings, including the Statue of Liberty Museum on Liberty Island, the TWA Hotel at the John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens, and the Empire Outlets in Staten Island.

In October, the Museum of Modern Art will unveil a renovation and expansion that adds more than 40,000 square feet of gallery spaces, will enhance the galleries and public spaces, and increase the museum’s gallery space by a third. The Empire State Building will have two new interactive experiences including the reimagined Observatory Experience that opened in July and “NYC: Above and Beyond,”, a new interactive experience in partnership with NYC & Company opening this fall, designed to provide personalized travel recommendations to visitors.

As of August 2019, hotel inventory increased to 121,700 rooms, up 3.7% year over year, and 139,000 hotel rooms are forecasted by early 2021. Recent hotel openings include Hotel Hendricks, Moxy East Village, SpringHill Suites by Marriott JFK, Hotel Indigo Williamsburg, Hotel Lyn, Equinox Hotel Hudson Yards, Wingate by Wyndham, Courtyard by Marriott Midtown West, Selina Hotel, Bushwick Hotel & Inn, and more.