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Buildings in New York. (File photo/Xinhua)
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Monday that New York City welcomed a record 52 million visitors in 2012, a new all-time high and a 2.1 percent increase over 2011.
Visitors to the city generated an estimated 55.3 billion U.S. dollars in economic impact to the city' s economy, with direct spending reaching 36.9 billion dollars, making New York City continue to be the premier U.S. travel destination, with an overseas market share at a record high of 33 percent.
Monday evening, the New Year celebration on Times Square, known for its famous crystal ball drop and a celebratory blizzard of colorful confetti rain, has attracted, as years before, an estimated one million people from around the globe.
The revelers, most of whom foreign visitors, waited on the square from early morning, for a six-hour show, including the spectacular Chinese Panda Dance, PSY' s performance of his hit song "Gangnam Style" , the musical performance by Carly Rae Jepsen, Taylor Swift, among others.
"New York City continues to attract people from all around the world who want to experience our unique culture, food, parks, shopping, arts and energy," said Bloomberg. "The tourism industry is thriving, creating thousands of jobs for New Yorkers at all rungs of the economic ladder."
Bloomberg, together with the Times Square 2013 Special Guest are expected to push the Waterford crystal button that signals the descent of the New Year' s Eve Ball, and lead the final sixty-second countdown to the New Year on the Countdown Stage.
Tourism is the City' s fifth largest industry and continues to generate record numbers of visitors, spending, jobs and hotel tax revenue, according to Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel.
"The City is able to attract visitors in markets where the potential for growth is strongest. We will continue to support a targeted approach and invest in markets that will yield the greatest return," said Robert.
