Due to the global recession, the number of visitors to New York City fell for the first time in nearly a decade last year. But because travel and tourism fell faster in nearly every major US city, the Big Apple became the most popular destination in the nation for the first time in nearly two decades.
The decline in travel was not unexpected. In fact, the Mayor and other public officials are being credited with helping mitigate the inevitable decline in tourism that other cities have reported. Shortly after the US economy fell into recession, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others repeatedly warned the public to anticipate a decline in tourism of up to ten percent.
As a result, thousands of restaurants and hotels in the city lowered their prices and offered special deals as a way to attract tourists. In fact, the average hotel cut their nightly rate by nearly one-third in 2009. This made it possible for millions to visit Manhattan on a budget.
Believe it or not, the number of domestic guests to the city was about the same in 2009 as it had been a year earlier. The 3.9 percent decline was due in large part to the 10 percent decline in foreign guests. These tourists are traditionally the biggest spenders, so it did have a negative impact on the travel industry.
But in the end, there isn't much a city can do about attracting foreign guests in the midst of an economic recession. Airfare is prohibitive and even if hotels cut their prices, it is seldom enough to attract international guests.