The Big Apple is still seeing fewer tourists than before the COVID pandemic amid concerns about crime, according to a report released by the state comptroller’s office Thursday.
The number of people who visited New York City last year — 62.2 million — was about 7% less than the 66.6 million tourists tallied in 2019, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found.
“Our city and state leaders need to focus on keeping New York a desirable and safe destination for individuals and families from around the world,” DiNapoli said in a statement accompanying the report.
DiNapoli’s analysis cited “high prices” as an issue that could be contributing to the slower recovery, too, including for business or trade conventions.
“Some visitors may also be hesitant to return amid perceptions of crime and public safety in the City,” the report said, noting Gov. Kathy Hochul deploying the National Guard in the subways in response to a series of highly publicized violent crimes, along with beefed up police presence on the rails.
The city has also seen a few recent high-profile attacks on visitors, including a Pennsylvania mom who was randomly stabbed in the chest while chaperoning schoolgirls on a class trip in Times Square earlier this month.
Two teens from Paraguay were stabbed in an unprovoked attack in Grand Central Terminal on Christmas Day, while a man from Brazil was knifed in the neck at a Queens subway station in February.
The lag was especially striking with international tourism, which, while up from 2022, was still 14% down compared to 2019.
That’s a concern because foreigners spend considerably more money than domestic tourists when they visit. Spending from international travelers is still down 20% from pre-pandemic era, the report found. --->READ MORE HERE
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New York City residents are blaming an influx of migrants in the city for the crime rate, a new poll found, as NYPD stats show that crime has fallen this year.
On Friday, the poll, conducted exclusively for Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton Strategies of 974 eligible voters in New York City, asked an array of questions about issues facing the city and the nation overall, including how they feel about the current crime rate and if they feel the influx of migrants is having an impact.
According to the poll, over 70 percent blamed migrants in the city for the current crime rate, with 41 percent saying immigration is having a "significant" impact and 31 percent saying a "fair amount" of impact. The poll found that 18 percent said immigration is having a "small" impact and 10 percent said it is having no impact at all.
Earlier this month, the New York Police Department (NYPD) released new citywide crime data for the month of April and said: "Overall index crime across New York City dropped another 4.9 percent in the month of April compared to the same month last year."
NYPD officials reported a decline in crimes such as murder, grand larceny-auto, burglary and felony assault.
"Importantly, April saw another 15.5 percent decrease in shooting incidents (60 vs. 71), equating to a 13.8 percent decline in shooting victims (69 vs. 80). Year to date through the end of April, 65 fewer people were shot in New York City, an 18.7 percent decline over the same period last year, and 21 fewer people were murdered, a 15.9 percent reduction," the NYPD said. --->READ MORE HEREFollow link below to a relevant story:
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