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Hotel Occupancy Up, Tourist Invasion "Relentless"
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Feb 21, 2013
Modified Feb 21, 2013
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Feb 21, 2013
Modified Feb 21, 2013
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Walking down Broadway already involves flailing your machete through a thicket of Uniqlo bags, but the Bloomberg administration says we can do better. Last year New York City had a record 52 million tourists who spent $36.9 billion and generated a $55.3 billion in revenue. Yet for the first three weeks of 2013, hotel room occupancy has increased by 11%, making the $70 billion goal for 2015 seem easier than giving a Dutch family directions to the Tenement Museum. “We will be relentless in our efforts to increase visitation to our city,” George Fertitta, the CEO of NYC & Company told the Times as he feverishly scribbled notes for a new Broadway muscial, Wicked 2: Just Dump Your Money Into This Burlap Bag Shaped Like A Witch's Hat.
Specifically the city is targeting tourists from Brazil, Australia, and China, who are three of the fastest-growing sectors of visitors to New York. "They love to shop," NYC & Company's senior VP said of Brazilian tourists. "Just ask any retailer who has hired Portugese-speaking staff."
Visits from Australians rose by 5% from 2011, to 550,000, and they stayed on average for more than eight days. One-third of all visitors to America stopped in New York, a number that's expected to stay the same so long as stay the hell away from Guy Fieri's oysters.
Tagged
guy fieri
tourism
tourists
wicked
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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