Record Tourism in 2006

By almost every measure, 2006 was a good year for New York City. Sure, the Murder Rate increased by 10% (to be fair, the increase was largely the result of some reclassified old murders and the rate is still one of the lowest in recent history) and thousands of New Yorkers lost power during the hottest months of the summer, but every year has its bumps in the road. Do you want a good measure of the city's overall success? According to NYC & Co , tourism increased by more than 7% over 2005, with a record 44 million visitors coming to the city in 2006.

As we work together to make this campaign a successful one, we should all keep in mind that this city is strong because of its landmarks, not in-spite of them, as some developers and newspapers would have us believe. Think about it: Do tourists come to New York to visit nameless glass towers and newly-built luxury housing developments or do they come to take photos of themselves in front of famous landmarks like Grand Central Station? It's just that simple: landmarks are good for our city. 44 million tourists can't be wrong.

More on the city's tourism boom here .