Nearly 65 million people are expected to have visited the city in 2024, according a projection released by the Mayor’s Office. It’s the second highest number in history, with the highest being 67 million in 2019.

Even on a rainy day Saturday, Times Square buzzed with tourists. Visitors, including those from other states or abroad, said they wanted to be in the city for the holidays.

“It’s always been on my bucket list to come, and it’s just been something I wanted to experience for a while now, since I was a little girl,” Whitney Fowler, visiting from North Carolina, said. “So I’m here and we’re gonna make the best of it!”

The Mayor’s Office says the city is on pace to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2025, touting it as a full economic recovery.

Tourism generates $79 billion across the city and state, including $51 billion in direct traveler spending — 3.5% more than 2023 — according to data from NYC Tourism and Conventions and the Mayor’s Office.

Tourism supported around 388,000 leisure and hospitality jobs in the city’s workforce. Visitor spending also generated more than $6.8 billion in tax revenue.

“Canal Street and Chinatown, yeah, but mostly Times Square, and Manhattan, Central Park,” Fowler said when asked what she’s most excited to see.

Bruno Souza, from Brazil, is visiting the city for the fourth time.

“A lot of places are good to go with the family, like Central Park with the kids,” Souza, a father of three, said.

“We always wanted to visit Ground Zero, visit New York, and we’re from the big city of Whiteville, North Carolina,” Shelly Dew said.

The average price of a hotel room in the city reached $417 per night in September, according to the real estate analytics company CoStar. That’s the most expensive cost for a stay since the company began tracking hotel prices in 1987.

“I love New York,” Maria Rangel, visiting from Utah, said. While she’s been to New York before, she said this is her first time in the city in December.