NYC tourists prefer Brooklyn over Manhattan

The tourism industry has been devastated by the effects of the pandemic. In the past two years, many hotels and restaurants remained empty, and some had to close down. This year, travelers are beginning to return to New York City. 

However, there was a slight change in top NYC tourist destinations. In 2022, travellers are more interested in visiting Brooklyn than seeing Manhattan. Brooklyn saw a double-digit increase in domestic tourism every month between January 2022 and May 2022, according to the data from the location analytics platform Placer.ai. 

“We found that while Manhattan is struggling to maintain its pre-pandemic levels of domestic tourism, Brooklyn has experienced (year-over-year) domestic tourism growth every month this year,” the report says.  

The popularity of Brooklyn as a tourist destination could be tied to its affordability. The cost of staying in this borough is much lower compared to Manhattan. In addition, many former Brooklyn residents visit this borough regularly to browse the streets and hang out with friends. Manhattan, on the other hand, saw a 14 percent decline in tourism activity between June 2022 and June 2021. 

Although fewer travelers are staying in Manhattan, this borough continues to regain its popularity among permanent residents. In the early days of the pandemic, this borough was often compared to a ghost town. However, recent traffic data from Place.ai confirms that this year, those who left Manhattan in the spring of 2020 have returned. In the first half of 2022, Manhattan’s population reached the same numbers as in the first half of 2019. 

By contrast, the majority of those who left Brooklyn at the beginning of the pandemic have not yet returned. As of June, fewer people live in this borough now than before the pandemic. Brooklyn’s population is still down 4 percent from June 2019, the report suggests. 

Resources:

“Manhattan and Brooklyn’s Pandemic Recovery,” by Shira Petrack (Placer.ai, 2022)

“Tourists Are Skipping Manhattan In Favor Of Brooklyn, Study Finds,” by Matt Troutman (Patch, 2022)

“Tourists love Brooklyn more than they love Manhattan,” by Anna Rahmanan (Time Out, 2022)