Op-Ed | Almost 65 million reasons why New York City tourism is back | amNewYork

The hospitality and tourism industry are the lifeblood of New York City’s economy. When we came into office three years ago, our city was emerging from the depths of the pandemic. Streets were empty and businesses were struggling to survive — and our tourism industry was hit hard. But our administration went to work to build a safer, more affordable city for working-class New Yorkers and their families. We worked to revitalize our commercial corridors, fill vacant storefronts, and boost economic recovery across the board. 

Today, our economy has seen a comeback like no other, with record job numbers and small businesses, and our streets and subways are safer. Most significantly, our tourism industry is back, and it is booming. 

In 2024, nearly 65 million visitors came to New York City — the second-highest figure in our city’s history and a 3.5 percent increase from 2023. New York City remains the global capital for restaurants, shopping, sports, and entertainment, and we are currently on pace to hit an all-time record high in 2025. 

This past year alone, tourists and visitors generated an economic impact of $79 million across the city and the state, supporting 388,000 jobs in leisure and hospitality. Our small businesses and minority- and women-owned businesses across the five boroughs have benefited from these record numbers. Visitor spending also generated more than $6.8 billion in tax revenue, which helped save each New York City household around $2,000 in 2024. And we can’t wait to welcome the world in 2026 to the biggest stage in New York City and New Jersey for the FIFA World Cup.

The strength of our tourism industry shows the strength of our economy and is the result of our efforts to invest in working-class New Yorkers while taking on crime and quality-of-life issues. We know that a thriving tourism industry cannot exist without public safety. That is why, this past year, we surged police into our transit system to take on subway crime so New Yorkers and tourists would not just be safe but feel safe as well. And, as a result, transit crime was down 5.4 percent year to date, and we surpassed 1 billion subway trips in 2024.

More specifically, our “Community Link” initiative — which works with multiple agencies, as well as community partners — is taking on quality-of-life issues such as ghost cars, illegal smoke shops, and keeping our streets safe and clean. This initiative has been extraordinarily successful in the Times Square area — issuing over 15,900 summonses, conducting over 1,070 operations, and resolving nearly 730 complaints since launching in May 2023.

Times Square is the “Crossroads of the world” and the front door and the welcome mat to our city — a place where the hospitality, entertainment, tourism, and business industries meet. Millions of tourists continue to visit Times Square and are often targeted by illegal vendors and pedicabs, putting tourists’ safety at risk and undermining legitimate business trying to make a living. That is why earlier this year we launched “Operation Front Door,” a targeted operation focusing on quality-of-life issues in and around Times Square.

We are taking decisive action to keep our city safe and more livable for New Yorkers, tourists, and businesses. As we welcome thousands of visitors to Times Square to watch the New Year’s Ball drop and ring in 2025, we will continue to deliver safety and affordability for working-class New Yorkers every day, everywhere.