The Impact of Tourism
New York is one of the most visited cities in the world. Each day about 100 flights leave the UK for New York and many more flights bring visitors into the city from other countries as well as from other parts of the United States.
Fast Facts (2007 figures)
• Total visitors to New York city – 46 million
• Total domestic visitors (from other parts of the USA) – 37.1 million
• Total international visitors – 8.76 million
• Total visitor spending - $28 billion
• Countries from where visitors arrive
Canada - 881,000
Germany – 547,000
France – 423,000
• Total number of jobs supported by tourism – 368,000
• Total taxes paid by tourists - $6.24 million
• Number of hotels rooms available – 73,333
• Average occupancy rate – 86.5%
• Average cost of hotel room - $267 (£190)
• Passengers passing through New York’s airports – 101.5 million
• Total number of flights in and out of New York airports – 1.22 million
• Number of licensed taxis – 12,778
• Total number of restaurants and cafes – 18,696
Conclusion – Tourism in New York City is BIG business and the economic impacts of tourism are massive.
Although the value of the UK pound against the USA dollar has fallen, many tourists will continue to arrive from other countries and form other parts of the United States.
Sustainable tourism
It is difficult to see how sustainable tourism works for New York City. The hundreds of millions of visitors who fly into the city each year must create quite a large environmental impact through the carbon emissions of the aircraft.
However, as in many cities, the New York City authorities have a number of policies designed to help sustainability. These include:
• Building new parks and green areas in the city
• Encouraging the use of energy efficient vehicles to reduce pollution
• Encouraging the use of public transport to reduce congestion
Activity 11
