Official: Trump Travel Ban Could Lead To Drop In Foreign Tourism For NYC

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- President Donald Trump's travel ban could lead to a steep drop in foreign tourism to New York City, the city's tourism partnership said Tuesday.

NYC & Company President Fred Dixon issued a message to Washington Tuesday.

"We do feel strongly that it is possible to have secure borders and open doors at the same time, and we just encourage everyone to take into consideration the impact of rhetoric and the uncertainty around welcoming message," Dixon said.

As WCBS 880's Myles Miller reported, a forecast released by NYC & Company – the city's official marketing arm, predicted that the city will lose 300,000 international visitors this year compared with 2016.

That would be the first drop in tourism since 2008, the start of the recession.

Overall tourism is still expected to grow to 61.7 million due to domestic visits.