NYC tourism is up

New York City is alive and kicking when it comes to tourists according to city officials that reported the Big Apple is on track to break their 2008's record of 47 million visitors this year.

An estimated 47.5 million people are expected to have walked down Times Square, visit the Statue of Liberty and catch a Broadway show according to NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. 

That is up 4 percent from 2009, when the city that never sleeps saw its first decline in foot traffic since 2001. Only 45.6 million visitors made it to New York during the peak of the recession. 

Tourism brings in about $30 billion into New York City's economy, with one in nine workers employed in such hospitality jobs as theaters, museums, restaurants and hotels.

According to an Associated Press report:

• Hotel occupancy was up 6.8 percent for the first half of 2010 when compared to the same time period one year ago.
• Non-commuter traffic via Amtrak to NYC's Pennsylvania Station jumped 9.4 percent for the first half of 2010 when compared to 2009.
• Broadway shows sold 6 million tickets between January and June in 2010, a spike of 3.7 percent from one year earlier.  

The goal according to Bloomberg is to have 50 million tourists visit NYC by 2012.