NYC most popular U.S. tourist destination in 2009

New York, Jan 5 (ANI): New York City was the most popular U.S. tourist destination in 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

"Over the past eight years, our efforts to make New York City an even more exciting place to visit have helped produce a record number of tourists and create thousands of jobs," said Bloomberg.

"Last year, while tourism declined significantly in cities across the country, we fared far better than most. In fact, for the first time in 20 years, we were the most popular tourism destination in the country, surpassing Orlando, and our leisure and hospitality jobs rose - surpassing even their pre-recession levels."

More than 45 million people who visited the city last year spent an estimated 28 billion dollars, reports The New York Post.

The city predicted 46.7 million visitors in 2010, and the mayor has set a goal of 50 million by 2012. (ANI)