MAYOR BLOOMBERG DISCUSSES CITY'S CONTINUED PROGRESS IN SPURRING ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NEW INDUSTRIES, INCLUDING TOURISM AND TECH, IN WEEKLY RADIO ADDRESS

The following is the text of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s weekly radio address as prepared for delivery on 1010 WINS News Radio for Sunday, May 12, 2013.

“Good Morning. This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

“Creating jobs is one of our most important challenges – and we’re working every day to find new ways to spur economic growth. Last week, we celebrated major progress in two critically important industries: tourism and our tech sector.

“Let’s start with our tourism industry. Last year, New York City welcomed an all-time high of 52 million visitors, who had an all-time high $55.3 billion impact on our economy. And so far this year, virtually every measure, from hotel rooms sold to arrivals at the airports serving New York, tell us that we’re doing even better in 2013. That’s translating into more jobs for New Yorkers. Our leisure and hospitality sector already employs more than 363,000 people in our city – an all-time record – and last Wednesday, we christened a new cruise ship that’s going to help bring even more people to our city.

“It’s the biggest cruise ship ever to make Manhattan its home port – Norwegian Cruise Line’s the Breakaway. Since 2009, the number of cruise ship passengers embarking here has grown by 32 percent. They totaled more than 587,000 passengers during 2012 alone. And the Breakaway’s weeklong cruises – the first one leaves tomorrow – will each accommodate some 4,000 passengers and help us build on our city’s record-breaking tourism gains.

“Growth in our tourism sector is a big reason why we continue to outpace the nation in job growth. That’s true in our tech sector, too. New York has the most tech jobs of any city in the nation; they’ve grown here by some 30 percent since 2005. Our strategy to make our city the world’s digital capital is a big reason why. We’ve helped attract major tech companies, including Twitter, Facebook, Yelp and Google. 

“We’re also working to help tech start-ups get off the ground. Last week, I visited the headquarters of one of the newest: It’s called Urban Compass. Urban Compass will have on-line apartment listings – and they’ll enable prospective tenants to complete their rental applications on-line, too. They’ll also have neighborhood specialists who will help clients find the communities that are right for them. 

“The tech industry is one of the hottest areas of our city’s economy – in fact, the New York City metro area is number one in the country for job growth in the mobile app industry. We’re helping the tech sector to grow by developing a network of business incubators; and the Applied Sciences campuses we’re helping to build on Roosevelt Island, in Downtown Brooklyn and at Columbia University are going to fuel business creation and job growth for decades to come.

“Our tourism and tech strategies are critical to diversifying our city’s economy and creating jobs for more New Yorkers of all backgrounds.

“This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Thanks for listening.”