New York City is the nation's most attractive destination for visitors. In 2018, New York City welcomed 65.1 million visitors, an all-time high. International visitors comprised 13.6 million of the total, but their economic importance to the City outweighs their numbers because they stay longer and spend more money than domestic visitors. New York City attracts almost one-third of all foreign visitors to the United States. In 2017 visitors to New York City spent more than $44.2 billion while staying here, generating an economic impact totaling more than $70 billion.The economic importance of tourism to New York City's economy is substantial. Jobs in hotels, restaurants, retail stores, museums and other cultural venues are strongly tied to the visitor market. The growth in the demand for hotel rooms has supported jobs in the construction industry as well as additional permanent hotel employment. Moreover, jobs in tourism related industries have grown substantially faster than the overall economy in the past 15 years. Tourism has therefore acted as a built in stabilizer for the City's economy during economic cycles. While economic downturns have affected other industries like Wall Street and Business Services, visitors continue to come to New York City. Since 2000, the number of visitors declined only in 2001, primarily due to the September 11 terrorist attacks. The crowded New York City streets are a testament to the more than 50 percent growth in visitors since 2000.