March 20–So much for the Trump slump.
New York City drew a record number of tourists in 2017, officials announced Tuesday — proving wrong their own dire warnings that President Trump's 'America First' rhetoric would scare away international visitors.
The total number of visitors jumped to 62.8 million, an increase of 2.3 million since 2016.
International visitors also increased from 12.7 million in 2016 to 13.1 million in 2017 — the opposite of what the city projected a year ago after Trump took office.
At the time, city tourism agency NYC & Company forecast that the city would lose 300,000 international travelers, dropping the number to 12.4 million.
They warned of $120 million in lost tax money for the city and state because of those decreases, which they blamed on Trump policies like the attempted travel ban on seven mostly Muslim nations and a ban on laptops on flights from certain locations.
Instead, both international and domestic tourism hit new record highs. It was the eighth consecutive year to see a tourism jump.
"Even with all the headwinds from the White House, we attracted a record number of visitors to our city. That's a testament to the strength of our tourism sector and the values of our city," Mayor de Blasio said.
The city launched an ad campaign in countries whose citizens often visit the United States promoting tourism and attempting to counter the "hostile" messages from the White House, with the tag line "New York City: Welcoming the World."
