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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 comptrollers 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.

DiNapolis 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.

Thats 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.

Tourists from China represented the largest share of global tourists in 2019, now visitors from the United Kingdom are the biggest share.

The report noted the COVID-19 lockdowns and travel bans were in place for a longer period in China, and that impacted the number of travelers from there.

Domestic travelers, especially those making leisure trips, fared better.

The 50.6 million US visitors to the Big Apple in 2023 were 7% more than in 2022 — but still 5% lower than visitors in 2019.

Conference-based business return is also important for the City as this is one area where visitors have returned faster in other large cities, DiNapoli said.

Revenue and spending from tourism are up overall, but that has more to do with rising prices for hotel rooms and other costs, the comptroller noted.

Meanwhile, there are still nearly 30,000 fewer workers in the tourism-related sector compared to 2019, with jobs down 10% in restaurants, bars, hotels and entertainment venues.

Tourism- related retail jobs are still down by 9,172 or 16.8%, with less foot traffic in tourist areas.

The lag in tourism contrasts with a total recovery of jobs Gotham lost during the coronavirus outbreak.

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DiNapoli emphasized that the picture has improved the past few years and the city is close to recovering all the jobs lost during the pandemic, and could do so next year.

The number of tourists is nearly back to pre-pandemic numbers in New York City, DiNapoli said. 

Visitor spending and the tax revenue this industry generates already exceed pre-pandemic levels, but the industrys recovery wont be complete until we see a full return of international and business travelers, and a full recovery of local jobs.”

The city hotel occupancy rate was 81.6%, highest among top markets in the nation — but still lower than 89.6% in 2019.

The analysis said the migrant crisis contributed to the hotel industry’s bottom line, boosting gross profits by 47% from 2022 to 2023.

Thousands of hotel rooms were taken off the market and the city paid hoteliers an average of $156 per room and provided full occupancy.

These were mostly small and medium-sized hotels, many in the outer boroughs.

Meanwhile, the larger, popular hotels mostly in the Manhattan tourism sector, charged an average of $301 per room.

The head of the New York City Hotel Association said the city tourism market has a ways to go when looking at the global competition.

“The hotel industry not only lags its numbers of 2019, a benchmark year for most industries, but also lags its competitors in other major international gateway cities like London and Paris. Both of those markets surpassed their 2019 numbers in 2023,” said NYC Hotel Association CEO Vijay Dandapani.

He also said surveys show that New York City “scores low in the perception of safety” as well for high costs.

Dandapani also said 16,000 hotel rooms were taken off the market to house migrants and 6,000 hotel other rooms closed during the pandemic.

The city hotel occupancy rate would be lower without the significant reduction in marketable hotel rooms, he said.

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Entertainment

Gillian Anderson warns UK homelessness ‘will only get worse’

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Gillian Anderson warns UK homelessness 'will only get worse'

Gillian Anderson has warned homelessness is a growing problem in the UK – one that will only get worse if we enter a recession.

The award-winning actress, who is playing a woman facing homelessness along with her husband in her latest film, The Salt Path, told Sky News: “It’s interesting because I feel like it’s even changed in the UK in the last little while.”

Born in Chicago, and now living in London, she explained: “I’m used to seeing it so much in Vancouver and California and other areas that I spent time. You don’t often see it as much in the UK.”

Her co-star in the film, White Lotus actor Jason Isaacs, chips in: “You do now.”

“It’s now becoming more and more prevalent since COVID,” said Anderson, “and the current financial situation in the country and around the world.

“It’s a topic that I think will be more and more in the forefront of people’s minds, particularly if we end up going into a recession.”

Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear
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Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs in The Salt Path. Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear

The film is based on Raynor Winn’s 2018 memoir, which depicts her and her husband’s 630-mile trek along the Cornish, Devon and Dorset coastline, walking from Minehead, Somerset to Land’s End.

Written from her notes on the journey, The Salt Path went on to sell over a million copies worldwide and spent nearly two years in The Sunday Times bestseller list. Winn’s since written two more memoirs.

Isaacs, who plays her husband Moth Winn in the movie, told Sky News that Winn told him she “hopes [the film] makes people look at homeless people when they walk by in a different light, give them a second look and maybe talk to them”.

With record levels of homelessness in the UK, with a recent Financial Times analysis showing one in every 200 households in the UK is experiencing homelessness, the cost of living crisis is worsening an already serious problem.

Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear
Image:
Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear

The film sees Ray and Winn let down by the system, first by the court which evicts them from their home, then by the council which tells them despite a terminal diagnosis they don’t qualify for emergency housing.

Following the loss of their family farm shortly after Moth’s shock terminal diagnosis with rare neurological condition Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD), the couple find solace in nature.

They set off with just a tent and two backpacks to walk the coastal path.

Isaacs says living in a transient way comes naturally to actors, admitting like his character, he too “lives out of a suitcase” and is “away on jobs often”.

Read more:
Is this every actor’s bucket list job?

Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear
Image:
Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear

Shot in 2023 across Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Wales, Anderson says as a city-dweller, the locations had an impact on her.

Anderson reveals: “As I’ve gotten older, I have become more aware of nature than […] when I was younger, and certainly in filming this film and being outside and so much of nature being a third character, it did shift my thinking around it.”

Meanwhile, Isaacs says he discovered a “third character” leading the film just the day before our interview, when speaking to Winn on the phone.

Isaacs says the author told him: “I feel like there’s three characters in the film,” going on, “I thought she was going to say nature, but she said, ‘No, that path'”.

Isaacs elaborates: “Not just nature, but that path where the various biblical landscapes you get and the animals, they matter.

“The things that happen on that path were a huge part of their own personal story and hopefully the audience’s journey as well.”

The Salt Path comes to UK cinemas on Friday 30 May.

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Politics

PM could lift controversial benefit cap in budget – as Farage makes two big election promises

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PM could lift controversial benefit cap in budget - as Farage makes two big election promises

Sir Keir Starmer could decide to lift the two-child benefit cap in the autumn budget, amid further pressure from Nigel Farage to appeal to traditional Labour voters.

The Reform leader will use a speech this week to commit his party to scrapping the two-child cap, as well as reinstating winter fuel payments in full.

The prime minister – who took Westminster by surprise at PMQs by revealing his intention to row back on the winter fuel cut – has previously said he would like to lift the two-child cap if the government could afford it.

There are now mounting suggestions an easing of the controversial benefit restriction may be unveiled when the chancellor delivers the budget later this year.

According to The Observer, Sir Keir told cabinet ministers he wanted to axe the measure – and asked the Treasury to look for ways to fund the move.

It comes after the government delayed the release of its child poverty strategy, which is expected to recommend the divisive cap – introduced by former Tory chancellor George Osborne – is scrapped.

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Why did Labour delay their child poverty strategy?

Ministers have already said any changes to winter fuel payments, triggered by mounting political pressure, would only be made when the government’s next fiscal event rolls round.

The Financial Times reported it may be done by restoring the benefit to all pensioners, with the cash needed being clawed back from the wealthy through the tax system.

The payment was taken from more than 10 million pensioners this winter after it became means-tested, and its unpopularity was a big factor in Labour’s battering at recent elections.

Before Wednesday’s PMQs, the prime minister and chancellor had insisted there would be no U-turn.

More from Sky News:
PM’s winter fuel claim ‘not credible’
Starmer vs Reeves – the ‘rift’ in Downing Street

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Will winter fuel U-turn happen?

Many Labour MPs have called for the government to do more to help the poorest in society, amid mounting concern over the impact of wider benefit reforms.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown this week told Sky News the two-child cap was “pretty discriminatory” and could be scrapped by raising money through a tax on the gambling industry.

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Brown questioned over winter fuel U-turn

Mr Farage, who believes Reform UK can win the next election, will this week accuse Sir Keir of being “out of touch with working people”.

In a speech first reported by The Sunday Telegraph, he is expected to say: “It’s going to be these very same working people that will vote Reform at the next election and kick Labour out of government.”

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Politics

Sir Alan Bates attacks ‘kangaroo court’ Post Office scheme after ‘take it or leave it’ offer

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Sir Alan Bates attacks 'kangaroo court' Post Office scheme after 'take it or leave it' offer

Sir Alan Bates has accused the government of presiding over a “quasi kangaroo court” for Post Office compensation.

Writing in The Sunday Times, the campaigner, who led a years-long effort for justice for sub-postmasters, revealed he had been given a “take it or leave it” offer that was less than half of his original claim.

“The sub-postmaster compensation schemes have been turned into quasi-kangaroo courts in which the Department for Business and Trade sits in judgement of the claims and alters the goal posts as and when it chooses,” he said.

“Claims are, and have been, knocked back on the basis that legally you would not be able to make them, or that the parameters of the scheme do not extend to certain items.”

More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as if money was missing from their accounts.

Many are still waiting for compensation despite the previous government saying those who had their convictions quashed were eligible for £600,000 payouts.

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‘It still gives me nightmares’

After the Post Office terminated his contract over a false shortfall in 2003, Sir Alan began seeking out other sub-postmasters and eventually took the Post Office to court.

More on Post Office Scandal

A group litigation order (GLO) scheme was set up to achieve redress for 555 claimants who took the Post Office to the High Court between 2017 and 2019.

Sir Alan, who was portrayed by actor Toby Jones in ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, has called for an independent body to be created to deliver compensation.

He added that promises the compensation schemes would be “non-legalistic” had turned out to be “worthless”.

It is understood around 80% of postmasters in Sir Alan’s group have accepted a full and final redress, or been paid most of their offer.

Read more:
Post Office scandal explained

Who are the key figures in the scandal?

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‘Lives were destroyed’

A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson told Sky News: “We pay tribute to all the postmasters who’ve suffered from this scandal, including Sir Alan for his tireless campaign for justice, and we have quadrupled the total amount paid to postmasters since entering government.

“We recognise there will be an absence of evidence given the length of time which has passed, and we therefore aim to give the benefit of the doubt to postmasters as far as possible.

“Anyone unhappy with their offer can have their case reviewed by a panel of experts, which is independent of the government.”

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