New York City tourism hit record high in 2014, officials say

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of tourists visiting New York City hit a historic high in 2014, attracted by its quality of life, low levels of crime and dynamism, officials said on Monday. A record 56.4 million visitors came to New York last year, generating an all-time-high $61.3 billion in overall economic impact, according to the Office of the Mayor and NYC & Co, the city's tourism and marketing organization. The tourism industry generated $3.7 billion in local tax revenues, they said. Some 359,000 jobs in the city are tourism-related, they added. "Our excellent quality of life, low levels of crime, and constant dynamism continue to attract record tourism each year, and 2014 was no exception,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. In 2013, 54.3 million visitors came to New York City, the previous record, officials said. Of last year's visitors, roughly 20 percent, or 12.2 million, came from foreign nations, primarily the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, France, China, Australia and Germany, officials said. (Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Eric Beech)