Record number of NY visitors

NEW YORK is on track to host a record number of visitors this year.

Tourism officials said initial figures show 47.5 million people visited, half a million more than the record set in 2008 and a 4% increase over 2009.

As Americans reined in their spending last year amid the recession, New York’s tourism numbers slipped for the first time since 2001, to 45.6 million.

Tourism is its fifth-largest industry, putting about $30 billion a year in direct spending into the economy. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a goal of reaching 50 million visitors by 2012.