New York City is expected to welcome 400,000 tourists this year than in 2024. This is a decline caused primarily by negative feelings towards the US among foreign tourists who have reconsidered their holidays.
New York City Tourism and Practice, the city's tourism agency, has optimistically entered 2025 after the coronavirus pandemic disrupts travel five years ago, predicting a full recovery with a record number of visitors this year.
However, the agency has now revised its initial forecast of 67.6 million visitors (international and domestic) down twice as President Trump declared a trade war with allies, meditated on the annexation of other countries, and strengthened the crackdown on immigrants that led to the detention of several foreign tourists.
The latest forecast, released Thursday, estimates that 64.1 million tourists will visit the city. This includes 400,000 domestic travelers than last year, but 800,000 fewer foreign visitors.
The new forecast shows 12.1 million international travelers, down 17% from the 2025 forecast. This decline was led by a decline in tourists from Canada. Canada boycotted a trip to the US over Trump's threat to make the US a 51st state.
International travel to the US from other parts of the world has held up to this point, but New York City relies on Canadian tourists. Travel analysts fear that ongoing economic uncertainty could scramble travel plans from other parts of the world.
While many domestic travelers visit New York City more than international travelers, international visitors tend to stay longer and spend more. Last year, tourists spent $51 billion in New York City. Expenditures are currently projected to decline by $4 billion this year.
Julie Coker, head of New York City Tourism and Practices, said her agency is selling foreign cities under a campaign titled “New York City Love + Liberty.”
The agency, a nonprofit with a partial funding in the city, hopes travelers will know.
Tourism is an important pillar of New York City's economy. The industry helps maintain many sectors, including Broadway, museums and restaurants, employing over 260,000 people.
So far, fewer than 117,000 foreign passengers have arrived at Kennedy International and Newar Liberty International Airports compared to the same period in 2024, according to an analysis of passenger admissions data by the New York Times.
According to property analytics firm CoSTar, hotel occupancy in New York City has been relatively flat this year, but has been relatively flat this year, but has not been on the way for summer reservations last year or last year.
John Fitzpatrick, who owns two hotels in Manhattan, said he felt very positive about tourism in the city at the end of 2024.
But now, he said bookings have fallen by about 5% since last year. His hotel missed forecasts for April, bookings for May are below forecasts, and bookings for the coming months are not as robust as expected.
“When we stand up, we're kicked off again,” Fitzpatrick said. “I'm worried.”
Fitzpatrick said he heard in conversations with Europeans during his recent trip to Ireland that he was not only angry at the tariffs but also feared being detained by US immigration authorities.
The story was a more aggressive tactic by the US border authorities at the Entry Port, including detention of two German tourists over four weeks.
“You want to go where you are welcome,” Fitzpatrick said.
Several tourist attractions in New York City are beginning to report a decline in customers. The Empire State Building Operator operator said people had fallen by 4.6% in the first three months of the year compared to last year, adjusting for this year's Easter Holiday shift. Approximately 50% of visitors come from overseas.
Topview Sightseing, which operates a fleet of two-storey buses in Manhattan, has seen a 20-25% drop in customer base. The company's owner, Asen Kostadinov, said the drop-off began about a year ago, worsening in 2025 with a noticeable decline in foreign tourists.
Kostadinov said travelers would appear to be more budget conscious and more and more booking low-cost packages with his company. He has also seen an increase in business at bicycle rental companies near Central Park and his statue of freedom. In comparison, his business at London's tourist bus company has increased this year, he said.
As a result of slow business outcomes and economic uncertainty in New York City, Kostadinov said he has let go of some corporate employees, cut back on bus drivers and postponed planned investments, including a new bus depot.
“There's no doubt that tariffs are causing some kind of anti-American sentiment,” Kostadinov said. “I'm an immigrant and I love America, but at the end of the day I don't want to make enemies for no reason.”
