India arrivals to New York set to climb to 428,000 in 2026 from 418,000 in 2025

New York City continues to see stable and resilient growth from the Indian market, even as global travel patterns evolve. In 2024, the city welcomed 64.5 million visitors overall, including 51.6 million domestic and 12.9 million international travellers. 

While international visitation expected to decline by 4.9% to 12.3 million in 2025, overall numbers are projected to remain steady, reaching 64.7 million visitors in 2025, a marginal 0.3% year-on-year increase, and expecting to rise to 66.0 million in 2026.

India - New York corridor

Against this backdrop, India stands out as a consistently strong and growing source market. Visitation from India reached 419,000 in 2024. The preliminary forecast for 2025 hooked at 418,000, with growth expected to pick up again in 2026, reaching 428,000 visitors.

Tiffany Townsend, EVP, Global Communications, in an exclusive conversation with T3, highlights that the long-standing importance of India was evident. “New York has been representing in the India market since 2008, and even before that, we knew this was an important feeder market,” she said, highlighting the deep-rooted connection between the two.

That connection, she explained, goes beyond numbers. “It’s a strong VFR market. There’s student travel, but more than that, every time I come to India, people have a very tangible connection to New York City, whether they have just visited, or are planning to, or have friends and family there.”

According to Townsend, improved connectivity has further strengthened this relationship. “There’s been a huge increase in flights and access from India to New York continues to grow. With investments in new airports across India, it’s now easier than ever to travel,” Townsend noted. India has remained among New York City’s top ten international markets for at least a decade and is one of the few to record consistent year-on-year growth.

Evolving travel demand

Travel behaviour from India and globally is also evolving. Of the total visitors from India, 65% travelled for leisure, including 34% VFR, while 35% visited for business. “VFR has been one of the best segments, but we are definitely seeing a shift towards more FIT travel,” she said, attributing this to repeat visitation, a growing middle class and an expanding affluent traveller base. “People are more comfortable booking their own travel rather than coming as part of a group.”

Leisure continues to dominate overall visitation trends. In 2024, leisure travel reached 52.0 million visitors, with projections of 52.2 million in 2025 and 53.3 million in 2026, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Business travel, on the other hand, stood at 12.5 million visitors in 2024 and is expected to remain flat in 2025, with a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels only anticipated by 2029.

The affluent segment is also emerging as a key driver of value. In 2024, New York City welcomed 10.7 million affluent visitors, an increase of 2 million or 23% compared to 2019. While this segment represents just 17% of total visitation, its economic contribution is three times higher than that of the average visitor.

The MICE segment, while still relatively small from India, presents growth potential. “It’s a small but growing segment for us. Compared to markets like the UK, Canada and Brazil where we have a stronger MICE presence, India still offers significant opportunity,” Townsend said.

Spending Patterns

From India specifically, visitor spending remains significant. In 2024, Indian travellers spent USD 963 million in New York City, averaging USD 2,300 per visitor per trip. They are also more inclined towards experiences such as fine dining, guided tours and nightlife, with peak travel bookings typically seen between March and May.

“We are starting to see a shift, not just from India, but globally, towards spending on experiences rather than things,” Townsend observed. “There is more spending on entertainment in particular, and to some extent, sports as well.”