From The Queens Times Ledger:
New Hotels in Queens Sign of Tourism Boom
Surrounded by a spectacular rooftop view of Manhattan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg touted the increase in hotels in Long Island City and elsewhere in the five boroughs during a visit to Z NYC at 11th Street and 43rd Avenue, saying the tourism industry has earned the city $31 billion. The mayor’s office said that by the end of 2011, the city will have an unprecedented 90,000 hotel rooms. Of the new hotels, which have an added 24 percent more rooms to the city since 2006, about 40 percent have opened in the outer boroughs. His office said the growth in hotels is a reflection of how the city’s tourism industry attracts 48.8 million visitors a year, $31 billion and employs thousands, with 323,000 people being employed in tourism-related industries as of September. Click here for the full story.