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The city's marketing and tourism agency says preliminary data shows New York is on track to reach a record 47.5 million visitors this year – beating the previous record set in 2008 by 500,000.

This comes after tourism fell for the first time in eight years in 2009, as the country went through a recession and Americans reigned in spending.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the industry fared better across all sectors – from higher hotel occupancy rates and Broadway ticket sales to more tourism-related jobs than last year.

"Just think about that, the economy turns down in America and around the world, and we're gonna have a record year in tourism,” said the mayor. “We used to talk about diversifying our economy, not just diversification in terms of industries, but around the city and all five boroughs. This is another example of doing exactly that."

Tourism is the city's fifth-largest industry – bringing in $30 billion a year.

And elected officials are hoping the expansion of the Delta Airlines terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport will give the city's tourism industry an even bigger boost.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved work on the $1.2 billion project last week.

Delta would move out of Terminal 3, and the iconic Pan Am Worldport will be demolished. The airline will then move into Terminal 4, which would be expanded with nine additional gates and a larger baggage claim and customs area.

Governor David Patterson says it is an investment that will boost the economy.

"When completed, this facility will offer thousands of jobs for New Yorkers,” said the governor at a news conference earlier today. “Just the direct oversight, airport and construction-related jobs are expected to yield 10,000 employment opportunities by 2014."

"Build and they will come,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, quoting the film “Field of Dreams.” “Build it and we will work and we will keep working and that's what we need in New York right now, is for people to be visiting us and spending a lot of money, and for people in New York to be working bring those people in and out of our city and supporting them when they are here."

Construction is scheduled to begin in September and should be complete by 2015.