Met Museum’s Summer Visitors Spent $753 Million in New York

According to a visitor survey released by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the hundreds of thousands of visitors that attended its spring-summer 2014 major exhibitions spent up to $753 million in New York city, according to a press release.

In a statement, Met director and CEO Thomas P. Campbell declared: “The Met’s stellar range of exhibitions, as well as its renowned collection … continue to draw domestic and international visitors to New York in large numbers. This visitorship plays a vital role in the city’s cultural tourism, which is a powerful contributor to the economic well-being of New York.”

197,710 visitors attended the exhibition “Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia, 5th to 8th Century.” “The Roof Garden Commission: Dan Graham with Günther Vogt” display attracted 559,876 visitors. “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” drew 505,307 visitors, and the Garry Winogrand retrospective had a total of 165,579 visitors.

The survey also indicated that 79 percent of visitors to the Met Museum during May and August 2014 had traveled from outside New York city. Half of these travelers came from the rest of the US, while the other half were international tourists. Up to an 80 percent of travelers reported staying overnight in the city, with an average stay of 6.3 days, and an average spend of $1,122 per person (including lodging, sightseeing, entertainment, museum tickets, transport, and shopping).

“The Metropolitan Museum continues to hold its place as the most-visited cultural attraction in the city,” added Emily K. Rafferty, president of the Met and chair of New York’s official tourism agency.