New York City’s tourism economy is closing in on a milestone. The city projects 66.3 million visitors in 2026, a 2% increase over last year, with domestic travel expected to surpass its pre-pandemic record — a recovery that has hotel rates and occupancy in the five boroughs leading the nation.

The numbers

According to NYC Tourism + Conventions’ annual report, released in March 2026, tourism generated $84.7 billion in total economic impact for the city in 2025, including $55.6 billion in direct visitor spending. The 2026 forecast of 66.3 million visitors breaks down to 53.4 million domestic travelers — a figure expected to exceed the city’s record 2019 level — alongside international arrivals still recovering toward their pre-2020 peak.

International visitation remains the slower-healing piece of the picture, a pattern New York shares with other U.S. gateway cities as overseas travel rebuilds unevenly.

A landlord’s market

For the city’s hotel industry, the demand has translated into pricing power. The average daily room rate across New York City hotels reached $334 in 2025, up 5% over 2024. Luxury hotels averaged 82.2% occupancy and upscale properties 87.5%, per industry figures — readings that reinforce New York’s standing as the deepest and most resilient hotel market in the country, even as national hotel performance has run flat to negative.

Industry analysts expect citywide occupancy to climb toward the mid-to-high 80s by 2026 and 2027, mirroring the market’s strength in the decade before the pandemic.

New supply

Despite tight conditions, New York is still building. The city is expected to deliver 4,852 newly built hotel rooms in 2026 — the most of any U.S. market for a second straight year. The new supply arrives against the backdrop of a citywide hotel text amendment that overhauled how new hotels are approved, a rule that has slowed some projects while the demand backdrop stays strong.

Why it matters

Tourism is one of New York City’s largest economic engines, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across hotels, restaurants, retail, Broadway and cultural institutions, and feeding the city’s hotel-occupancy and sales-tax revenue. The pricing strength also ripples into the broader hospitality labor market and into Manhattan’s commercial corridors, where visitor spending underwrites storefronts and theaters alike. A strong 2026 forecast lands as a welcome signal for a sector that took years to climb back from the pandemic’s near-total shutdown of city travel.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many visitors does NYC expect in 2026?
New York City Tourism + Conventions projects 66.3 million visitors in 2026, a 2% increase over 2025. Domestic travel is forecast to reach 53.4 million visitors, surpassing the record set in 2019.
How much did tourism contribute to NYC's economy?
Tourism generated $84.7 billion in total economic impact for New York City in 2025, including $55.6 billion in direct visitor spending, according to NYC Tourism + Conventions' annual report released in March 2026.
What are NYC hotel rates and occupancy?
The average daily rate across NYC hotels was $334 in 2025, up 5% over 2024. Luxury hotels averaged 82.2% occupancy and upscale hotels 87.5%, keeping New York the strongest-performing major hotel market in the United States.
Is NYC adding hotel rooms?
Yes. New York City is expected to deliver 4,852 newly built hotel rooms in 2026 — the most of any U.S. market for the second consecutive year — even as a citywide hotel-licensing rule has reshaped new development.