New York attracts more than 8 million foreign travelers a year, which makes it the Number 1 tourist destination in the United States.
The city is known as a shopper’s paradise, giving rise to the famous saying: “If you can’t find it in New York, chances are it doesn’t exist.” Although Manhattan (seen here) is the most celebrated part of New York, each of the city’s five boroughs is distinctive. Writer Pete Hamill describes his native Brooklyn as “filled with … a Vermeer light” that evokes the sun-streaked interiors of a 17th-century Dutch painting.
Some tourists now have another reason to visit. President Obama recently announced a new visa pilot program that will allow expedited visa renewals for some visitors, and he is calling for an expansion of the Visa Waiver Program, under which people can travel to the United States for tourism or business for limited stays without obtaining a visa.