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City tourism has become increasingly important to all the cities and countries of the world.¹⁰⁹ People travel frequently to attractive places, mainly for cultural reasons, but they are also drawn by shopping opportunities. For one-day tourists, shopping is a major reason for travelling, while natural and cultural tourism dominates vacations of longer duration. A European study of city tourism indicates that it is motivated by several factors.¹¹⁰ Culture is one reason for travelling, including historic and contemporary artefacts, arts and museums. Experiencing lifestyle and creative industries represent additional reasons to visit a city. Finally, city tourism springs from business and shopping trips.

City tourism is the most expanding kind of tourism. Millions of people travel to the metropolises of the world. Most frequently visited cities are New York, London, Paris and Rome. In second place, follow the cities of Mexico, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney, Berlin, Barcelona, Hamburg, Madrid, Athens, Vienna, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Milan and Lisbon. New York City is probably the most popular city of all cities of the world. Some 40 million foreign and American tourists visit New York each year. Hotels, restaurants, shopping stores and centres as well as cultural attractions live and die by this enormous flow of people and money into the city.¹¹¹ More than 80 pct. of the visitors are American. In total, domestic and international visitors spend some $20 billion each year. Just like other cities, tourists are attracted by the sights of the city, in particular Manhattan and its avenues and districts, including Times Square, Chinatown, Soho, Greenwich Village and Wall Street. Famous are Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Broadway, the Empire State Building and the Museum of Modern Art. Shopping opportunities are great, too.