New York tourism industry recovers from COVID, except in employment

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Employment in the tourism industry still lags 4.3% behind the pre-COVID benchmark. That's according to a report from the State Comptroller's Office, available at the bottom of this story and released before Independence Day.

COVID wiped out almost a third of tourism-related jobs, and no region of the state fully bounced back.

Still, per the report from Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, wages in the industry—$23.1 billion in total, with an average salary of $55,000—were 6.9% higher in 2023 than in 2019. And while the report tallies $10.9 billion lost in the travel and tourism sectors during the pandemic, the subsequent recovery saw $792 million more economic activity than in 2019.

The report also highlights spiking state park attendance and growing agribusiness. They saw over 900,000 more people at state parks in 2023 than in 2000, an increase of 9.1%.

“Our State Parks are an important driver behind our state’s economy," Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "And my administration is committed to ensuring everyone has access to our breathtaking sites and to boosting the tourism industry.”

To that end, on July 3, the governor announced signing S5423/A4853, making state parks accept other forms of payment besides credit cards. This promotes access to state parks by eliminating that barrier to entry.

The comptroller report said that in 2022, 355 million non-work trips into New York from other states (mostly New Jersey) represented an almost 31% growth from 2020. There were also 7.4 million more international travelers to New York in 2023 than in 2020, though still not completely recovered from an 84% COVID drop.

In 2023, tourism generated $34 billion and employed almost 417,000 New Yorkers. Today, only California outranks New York in terms of economic activity directly from tourism, the report said. And agritourism—like wine tastings, hayrides, and fruit- and vegetable-picking, and hayrides—grew, with almost twice as many farms (947) and more than triple the income ($55 million) than 2007.

Check out the full report below: