The Market Hall is a famous tourist landmark in Rotterdam since its opening in 2014, consisting of 4,600 m2 retail space, 1,600 m2 horeca and an underground 4-storey parking garage with a capacity of over 1200 cars.

Rotterdam, the second-largest city in the Netherlands, has become an important destination for international and domestic tourism. It is known for its unique combination of architectural innovation, cultural institutions, and maritime history. The city's growth in tourism has been a significant factor in its economic development, particularly in the early 21st century1.

Attractions

The cityscape of Rotterdam is marked by diverse architectural styles, reflective of its historical periods and urban development initiatives. Structures of significance include the Erasmus Bridge, a prominent example of contemporary design, and the Cube Houses, a residential development designed by Piet Blom that exemplifies the city's experimental architectural ethos2. Another architectural standout is the Markthal, an indoor market with an arched structure that also serves as a residential building.

Rotterdam also boasts a variety of cultural institutions. The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, for example, holds an expansive collection of artworks from the Middle Ages up to the present day3. Other museums and galleries throughout the city further enhance its cultural offerings.

In terms of maritime attractions, the Maritime Museum provides insight into the city's seafaring history, while the Port of Rotterdam, one of the busiest ports in the world, remains a crucial element of its identity. The SS Rotterdam, a former ocean liner and cruise ship, now operates as a hotel and museum, contributing to the city's maritime heritage.

Tourist Numbers and Impact

Tourism in Rotterdam has been growing steadily in recent years, with visitor numbers showing a positive trend. As of 2022, Rotterdam welcomed more than a million tourists annually, a significant increase from previous decades4. This rise in tourism has had a measurable impact on the city's economy, providing a boost to local businesses and creating jobs in the tourism and hospitality sector5. However, as with many other urban centers experiencing tourism growth, issues related to sustainability and management of tourist numbers are ongoing challenges.

https://rotterdampartners.nl/app/uploads/2023/04/Factsheet-2022-in-cijfers-Rotterdam-Partners.pdf

https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2022/45/recordaantal-toeristen-boekt-overnachting-in-nederland

https://www.eur.nl/en/upt/media/2021-03-2021-structurele-krimp-zakenverkeer-kan-rotterdam-banen-kosten

https://www.nd.nl/nieuws/nederland/622089/rotterdam-populair-bij-toeristen

Industry edit

https://portofbusiness.nl/rotterdam-blijft-een-interessante-stad-voor-toeristen/

Year Total
visitors (millions)
Domestic
visitors
International
visitors
Total
visitor
spending
billions (US$)

Street fairs and street events such as the Labor Day Carnival in Brooklyn, Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village, and New York Marathon also attract tourists.

Tourism companies edit

New York City law requires all guides to be licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs. A professional trade organization of licensed tour guides in the city is GANYC (Guides Association of New York City), which represents just 10.9% of all licensed tour guides in the city.[1] Potential licensees must pay a fee and take a compulsory 150-question examination about New York City topics, of which they must get at least 97 questions correct.[2][3][4] As of 2018, over 3,000 guides have certification.[4]

In 1992, the "Greeter" initiative was founded by Lynn Brooks with the association "Big Apple Greeter" in New York City.[5] The voluntary and personal hosting of tourists should improve the bad image of the megacity. More "Greeter" projects followed in other United States cities and worldwide. More than 300 volunteers "greet" over 7,000 visitors per year in New York City as of 2010.[6]

NYC & Company, the city's official convention and visitor bureau, is currently headed by Fred Dixon. It has offices in 14 countries, including Brazil, Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Japan, Korea and China.[7] NYC & Company is the official source of tourism statistics for the city. The research department develops and distributes comprehensive information on NYC domestic and international visitor statistics and monitors the travel industry's impact on New York City's economy. The department also produces 14 official New York City tourism marketing publications that feature information on member hotels, museums, attractions, theaters, stores, restaurants, meeting venues, and service providers.

Special interest tours edit

 
New York City Marathon in Harlem with the Duke Ellington Memorial in the background

New York City has a rich musical culture and history.[8] Accordingly, numerous jazz, gospel music, rock and roll, rhythm and blues and hip hop tours are available. Popular locations for music tours include Harlem and the East Village, which is home to several historical sites related to the birth of punk music.[9] Walking tours are one of the most popular ways of seeing the city and many private guides supply tours. Companies producing audio walking tours include the Gesso app.[10]

Food tours are another option for visitors. New York is one of the top culinary destinations in the world. New York's food culture, influenced by the city's immigrants and large number of dining patrons, is diverse. Jewish and Italian immigrants made the city famous for bagels, cheesecake and New York-style pizza. Some 4,000 mobile food vendors, many of them immigrants, are licensed by the city and have made Middle Eastern foods such as falafel and kebabs standbys of contemporary New York street food.[11] The city is also home to many of the finest haute cuisine restaurants in the United States.[12] Food tours allow visitors to try a wide variety of these foods economically and learn about the city's culture.[13] Tour companies include New York Food Tours, Local Finds Queens Food Tours and Rum and Blackbird Tasting Tours.[14]

Visitors to New York City also partake in sports tourism. Sporting events draw tourists to major venues such as the Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, and Madison Square Garden, and to street events such as the New York City Marathon.

Most visited attractions edit

All of the below attractions are located in Manhattan unless otherwise stated. Only attractions with more than 2 million visitors are listed. The most visited attractions in New York City include:

Name Image Location Estimated number of visitors (millions) As of Ref.
Central Park   between 5th and 8th Aves, between W 59th and W 110th Sts

40°46′56″N 73°57′55″W / 40.78222°N 73.96528°W / 40.78222; -73.96528 (Central Park)

42.0 2016 [15]
Times Square   Broadway and 7th Avenue between W 42nd and W 47th Sts

40°45′25″N 73°59′10″W / 40.757°N 73.986°W / 40.757; -73.986 (Times Square)

39.5 2014 [16]
Grand Central Terminal   Park Ave between E 42nd and E 45th Sts

40°45′10″N 73°58′38″W / 40.752813°N 73.977215°W / 40.752813; -73.977215 (Grand Central Terminal)

21.6 2014 [16]
Theater District (including Broadway theatres)   between 6th and 8th Aves, between 40th and 54th Sts

40°45′32″N 73°59′06″W / 40.759°N 73.985°W / 40.759; -73.985 (Theater District)

13.0 2018 [17]
Rockefeller Center (including Top of the Rock)   between 5th and 6th Aves, between W 48th and W 51st Sts

40°45′31″N 73°58′45″W / 40.75861°N 73.97917°W / 40.75861; -73.97917 (Rockefeller Center)

12.8 2018 [17]
Bryant Park   between 5th and 6th Aves, between W 40th and W 42nd Sts

40°45′14″N 73°59′02″W / 40.754°N 73.984°W / 40.754; -73.984 (Bryant Park)

12.0 2017 [18]
Prospect Park   between 8th, Flatbush, Ocean, Parkside Aves, and Prospect Pk SW (Brooklyn)

40°39′42″N 73°58′15″W / 40.66167°N 73.97083°W / 40.66167; -73.97083 (Prospect Park)

10.0 2017 [19]
South Street Seaport   South St and Fulton St

40°42′22″N 74°0′12″W / 40.70611°N 74.00333°W / 40.70611; -74.00333 (South Street Seaport)

9.0 2014 [16]
High Line   west of 10th Ave between Gansevoort and W 34th Sts

40°44′53″N 74°00′17″W / 40.747993°N 74.004765°W / 40.747993; -74.004765 (High Line)

7.6 2015 [20]
Coney Island (including amusement parks and boardwalk)   southern shore of Brooklyn

40°34′26″N 73°58′41″W / 40.574°N 73.978°W / 40.574; -73.978 (Coney Island)

7.4 2017 [21]
National September 11 Memorial   between West, Vesey, Greenwich, and Liberty Sts

40°42′42″N 74°00′49″W / 40.711667°N 74.013611°W / 40.711667; -74.013611 (National September 11 Memorial)

6.8 2017 [22]
Metropolitan Museum of Art   5th Ave and E 82nd St

40°46′46″N 73°57′47″W / 40.7794°N 73.9631°W / 40.7794; -73.9631 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

7.0 2019 [16]
Rockaway Beach   Rockaway, Queens

40°35′10″N 73°48′43″W / 40.586°N 73.812°W / 40.586; -73.812 (Rockaway Beach)

5.5 2017 [21]
American Museum of Natural History   between Columbus Ave, Central Park W, and W 77th and W 81st Sts

40°46′50″N 73°58′29″W / 40.78056°N 73.97472°W / 40.78056; -73.97472 (American Museum of National History)

5.0 2018 [23]
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island   Statue of Liberty National Monument (off the coast of Manhattan)

40°41′39″N 74°02′35″W / 40.694167°N 74.043056°W / 40.694167; -74.043056 (Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island)

4.5 2016 [24]
Empire State Building   5th Ave and W 34th St

40°44′54″N 73°59′08″W / 40.74833°N 73.98556°W / 40.74833; -73.98556 (Empire State Building)

4.0 2015 [25]
National September 11 Museum   Greenwich St and Cortlandt Way

40°42′41″N 74°00′45″W / 40.71149°N 74.01253°W / 40.71149; -74.01253 (National September 11 Museum)

3.1 2017 [22]
Museum of Modern Art   11 W 53rd St

40°45′42″N 73°58′39″W / 40.7616°N 73.9776°W / 40.7616; -73.9776 (Museum of Modern Art)

2.8 2016 [26]
One World Trade Center   West St and Vesey St

40°42′47″N 74°0′49″W / 40.71306°N 74.01361°W / 40.71306; -74.01361 (One World Trade Center)

2.3 2015 [25]
Bronx Zoo   2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx

40°51′1″N 73°52′43″W / 40.85028°N 73.87861°W / 40.85028; -73.87861 (Bronx Zoo)

2.15 2009 [27]

Notes:

  • Many of these counts also include residents and workers as well. In addition, the actual visitor counts may be greatly inflated since a single person may be counted multiple times if they visited the attraction more than once a year. For this reason, modes of transport such as the Staten Island Ferry and Brooklyn Bridge are excluded, as are neighborhoods such as Greenwich Village, Harlem, and the Financial District.
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park, which saw 4.62 million visitors in summer 2016, is excluded because annual statistics are not available.[19] However, Coney Island and Rockaway Beach are included since they are seasonal destinations.
  • The Battery, the port of departure for Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tourist ferries, is excluded.
  • Sports stadiums are also excluded since annual attendance may fluctuate greatly from year to year.
  • Please note that each of these attractions has its own mask policy in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic so make sure to check their policies before visiting.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Business: NYC". a858-elpaca.nyc.gov.
  2. ^ Potenza, Theresa (2016-05-08). "Take our test: Are you smarter than an NYC tour guide?". New York Post. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  3. ^ "Licensed tour guides have to pass extensive test of NYC knowledge". amNewYork. December 20, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Hu, Lydia (November 16, 2018). "Do You Have What it Takes to Be an NYC Tour Guide?". Spectrum News NY1 | New York City. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  5. ^ "TRAVEL ADVISORY; New Yorkers As 'Greeters'". The New York Times. 1992-05-31. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  6. ^ Allen, Anne Wallace (August 1, 2010). "Volunteers give free tours in cities around the world". USA Today.
  7. ^ NYC & Company. "NYC & Company Offices Worldwide". Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  8. ^ "Places To Visit In New York City". Pinterest Places To Visit In New York City. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  9. ^ "Gesso | Punks + Poets". Gesso. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  10. ^ "Gesso | Immersive City + Museum Guides". Gesso. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  11. ^ Bleyer, Jennifer (May 14, 2006). "Kebabs on the Night Shift". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-07-19.
  12. ^ Collins, Glenn (November 3, 2005). "Michelin Takes on the City, Giving Some a Bad Taste". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-07-19.
  13. ^ Courtney Hollands, Kara Baskin, and Christie Matheson. "Break Loose". Boston Globe. 28 March 2010. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2010/03/28/break_loose/?page=3
  14. ^ New York Food Tours, http://foodtoursofny.com/index.html; Queens Food Tours, http://queensfoodtours.com, Rum and Blackbird Tasting Tours, http://www.rumandblackbird.com/
  15. ^ Van Buren, Alex (January 27, 2016). "12 Secrets of New York's Central Park". Smithsonian. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d Polland, Jennifer. "The 50 Most Visited Tourist Attractions In The World [INFOGRAPHIC]". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  17. ^ a b "The best Manhattan attractions". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  18. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-16. Retrieved 2019-07-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ a b "Millions (and millions) of visitors poured into Brooklyn Bridge Park this summer". Brooklyn Eagle. 2017-12-26. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  20. ^ "Friends of the High Line founder raises concern about park's success". Archpaper.com. 2017-02-24. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  21. ^ a b "City beaches saw best numbers in three years: Parks". am New York. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  22. ^ a b "2017 Annual Report | National September 11 Memorial & Museum". 2017 Annual Report | National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  23. ^ "American Museum of Natural History to break ground on new center". am New York. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  24. ^ "Park Statistics - Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  25. ^ a b Bagli, Charles V. (2016-05-27). "3.3 Million Were Expected at Trade Center Attraction; a Million Haven't Shown Up". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  26. ^ "Visitor figures 2016: Christo helps 1.2 million people to walk on water". theartnewspaper.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  27. ^ JACOB E. OSTERHOUT (November 13, 2009). "In honor of its birthday, 110 things to know about the Bronx Zoo". NY Daily News.