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New Report Details Tourism’s Strong Impact on The Queens Economy
Report by Center for an Urban Future, Association for a Better New York, Times Square Alliance. Comments by Kamau Austin
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| Photo By Kamau Austin |
New York City is experiencing a significant growth in the tourism sector. New York City has 62.7 million visitors a year who spend over 43 billion dollars in annual spending as of 2016.
A lot of growth of tourism is happening in Queens. Tourism is sprouting a lot of job growth and economic development in Queens. But the question remains since JFK Airport is in Southeast Queens and the area is rich in internationally popular artforms like jazz, hip hop, gospel, and the arts will our area reap similar economic rewards for it's residents like Manhattan, Northern Queens, and Brooklyn?
Below is research by the Center for an Urban Future, Association for a Better New York, Times Square Alliance on the significant growth of the tourism trade on the economy in Queens with the very provocative videos on the subject...
Nearly 15,000 Queens Residents Work at Hotels in NYC, More Than Any Other Borough
Tourists Are Responsible for 6% of All Retail Spending in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst
(May 7, 2018) A new report published by the Center for an Urban Future finds that the record increase in tourism to New York City over the past two decades has spurred thousands of jobs in Queens and benefited thousands of additional residents who work in tourism jobs elsewhere in the city. The report reveals that 14,750 Queens residents work at hotels across the city, significantly more than any other borough.
Meanwhile, the borough is now home to 3,272 accommodations jobs, up from 2,396 in 2000— an increase of 876 jobs, or 37 percent. The report, which was funded by the Association for a Better New York and Times Square Alliance, finds that the tourism boom has led to exponential job growth at the city’s cultural attractions, restaurants and bars, and retail shops.
In Queens, the number of people working at restaurants and bars increased 88 percent increase to 45,276 jobs in 2016 from 24,033 jobs in 2000. Queens has also seen a 46 percent increase in jobs at museums, parks and historical sites, from 599 in 2000 to 875 in 2016. In retail, Queens added 12,863 jobs (a 25 percent increase) since 2000.
The study also reveals that the benefits of tourism have spread to many neighborhoods across the borough. For instance, in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, tourists are responsible for 12 percent of all spending in electronics stores and 10 percent of spending in discount stores. They are responsible for 6 percent of all retail spending in those neighborhoods, totaling more than $23 million annually.
While a growing number of tourists are visiting Queens, the report also shows that the tourism boom is also benefiting locals who work elsewhere in the city. For instance, Queens is home to more hotel workers than any other borough, an important distinction when the average worker in the accommodations sector earns $62,000 per year. Eighty-one percent of NYC residents who are employed at hotels live in the four boroughs outside Manhattan. There are 14,750 Queens residents working in the accommodations sector, significantly more than any other borough, including Brooklyn (which is home to 10,986 hotel workers), Manhattan (8,324), the Bronx (6,881), and Staten Island (1,819).
See Lonely Planet Votes Queens, NY Best Destination For Travel In US For 2015 Video
