NEW YORK, NY— Across the City, multiple eras have captured the summer.
First, the Knicks won the NBA Championship bringing New Yorkers together for weeks, culminating in a divine victory.
And with the energy of the national win still tangible in the streets, the City hosted the World Cup, which brought more than 1.0 million visitors to the New York–New Jersey region.
Even so, New York City's tourism industry still faces a challenge that reaches far beyond crowded sidewalks and summer attractions: fewer international visitors are coming through the City's airports and borders.
Federal immigration policies, border restrictions, trade tensions and economic uncertainty have contributed to a decline in foreign travel to New York and across the United States, according to state officials and tourism industry leaders.
The slowdown matters because international visitors spend far more than domestic travelers—an average of $1,709 per trip, compared with $458 for U.S. visitors, according to the New York State Comptroller's Office.
New York City Tourism + Conventions told Patch the City is responding by expanding efforts to attract domestic travelers and encourage visitors to explore neighborhoods beyond traditional tourist destinations.
"Our mission isn't simply to grow visitation, but to manage it responsibly," the organization wrote in a statement to Patch.
The decline comes as travel patterns shift nationwide.
The New York State Comptroller's Office reported federal policies, including "higher tariffs and immigration restrictions," have constrained international travel to New York and the country.
In 2025, overseas travelers made 34.3 million visits to the United States, a decline of more than 870,000 visits, or 2.5 percent, compared with 2024, according to the International Trade Administration data cited by the comptroller.
Travel from Canada has been especially affected.
Because New York shares a border with Canada, the state relies heavily on Canadian visitors arriving by car and other land routes.
In 2025, nearly 3.6 million fewer Canadian travelers entered New York, a decline of 21.2 percent, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
Canada has historically ranked among New York City's largest international tourism markets.
New York remains one of the largest international tourism destinations in the country, but it has seen a measurable decline.
The state comptroller reported that the City had nearly 176,650 fewer overseas visitors in 2025, a 3 percent decline.
Only California experienced a larger drop.
The impact has reached some of the City's most recognizable attractions.
For example, the Statue of Liberty saw nearly 183,800 fewer visitors through October 2025, a decline of 4.9 percent.
But small businesses that rely on visitor spending are likely to bear much of the burden.
Restaurants, souvenir shops, tour operators and hotels depend heavily on tourism, which supported 397,000 jobs and thousands of small and minority-owned businesses across New York City in 2025.
International travelers spent nearly $17 billion in New York in 2024, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
As the City faces increased competition for visitors, all five borough presidents have backed NYC Tourism + Conventions'request to increase city funding to $35 million in the FY27 budget.
The borough presidents argued that the City has not increased funding for NYC Tourism + Conventions since 2006, despite rising marketing costs and increased competition from cities such as Los Angeles and Boston, which they said spend more aggressively to attract visitors, conventions and major events.
In a joint letter, they said tourism generated $84.7 billion in economic impact in 2025, including $55.6 billion in direct visitor spending and $7.5 billion in state and local tax revenue, while supporting nearly 400,000 jobs across the five boroughs.
"Tourism is one of New York City's most powerful economic engines, and its benefits reach every borough," the joint letter from June read.
"New York City cannot afford to underinvest in an industry that delivers such direct returns."
Tourism officials and businesses are increasingly targeting travelers closer to home.
NYC Tourism reported the City expects 65.4 million visitors in 2026, including 52.6 million domestic travelers and 12.8 million international visitors.
The organization told Patch New York's year-round appeal helps reduce reliance on a single tourism season.
"Summer is certainly a busy time, but it typically accounts for about 17% of our annual visitation," NYC Tourism wrote in a statement.
The agency has also promoted programs such as NYC Winter Outing and NYC Restaurant Week to encourage travel during traditionally slower periods.
And, some businesses that rely on tourists are shifting their focus toward domestic travelers and locals.
Empire Tours & Productions, which operates walking, food and cultural tours in cities including New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., reported softer international demand in New York.
Aanand Mohapatra, the company's chief marketing officer and chief technology officer, said the broader U.S. travel market has slowed.
"America generally has been down from a volume perspective," Mohapatra said.
New York has still performed better for the company than expected, partly because it has focused on attracting nearby customers.
"We focused our marketing and outreach to kind of activate the locals, activate domestic travelers as much as possible," Mohapatra said.
That means targeting visitors from New Jersey, Long Island and New York's own boroughs who may live nearby, but have never explored certain neighborhoods.
Mohapatra said travelers increasingly want experiences that connect them with local history, food and small businesses.
The company's Little Italy and Chinatown food tour takes visitors through four stops, including dumplings, pizza and cannolis, while highlighting the stories behind the businesses.
"We want to tell the stories," Mohapatra said. "We want to highlight the small businesses."
The company also recently expanded its New York offerings with a Lower East Side food tour featuring Katz's Delicatessen, with a special "skip the line" partnership, which opens Aug. 15.
Mohapatra said partnerships with longtime establishments help visitors experience parts of the city they may otherwise miss.
NYC Tourism + Conventions stated New York's long-term growth depends on attracting visitors from a broad mix of domestic and international markets.
With international travel softening, maintaining the City's position as a global destination is critical to sustaining jobs and local economies.
"Together, our year-round appeal and strategic marketing approach help ensure the economic benefits of tourism are shared more broadly across communities, businesses and all five boroughs," the organization wrote.
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