For the first time in nearly twenty years, New York topped the list of the most visited cities in the United States in 2009. Despite tourism declines across the country, former cities that topped the list — Las Vegas or Orlando — saw greater losses in tourism than the Big Apple.

With an estimated 45.3 million visitors, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “We have made our city cleaner, safer and more exciting than ever. I do think we’ll continue to see even more tourists on our streets as the economy improves, and I think that we’ll continue to fare better than other cities.”