New York overtakes Orlando as top US holiday spot

New York City was the most popular tourist destination in the US for the first time since 1990 last year, according to official figures.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the destination welcomed some 45.25 million tourists from around America and the world, placing it ahead of Orlando.

New York remained the leading tourist location in the US among international visitors last year, with 8.6 million people visiting the city from overseas.

This places it ahead of Los Angeles, its nearest competitor.

Mr Bloomberg said: "Over the past eight years, our efforts to make New York City an even more exciting place to visit have helped produce a record number of tourists and create thousands of jobs.

"Last year, while tourism declined significantly in cities across the country, we fared far better than most. In fact, for the first time in 20 years, we were the most popular tourism destination in the country, surpassing Orlando."

The mayor went on to say that 2010 will be a year of growth and recovery, with some 46.7 million visitors expected.

Posted by Andrew, 05 January 2010 13:09

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