ARA Notes | Audience Research & Analysis (ARA): Market Research and Economic Analysis for the arts, cultural tourism, education and government

ARA Measures Record-Breaking Economic Impact for New York Road Runners

NYRR races injected nearly $1B in incremental spending into New York City economy.

Every five years, New York Road Runners commissions an Economic Impact Study to assess how the nonprofit’s annual races, including the TCS New York City Marathon, contribute to the local New York City economy. The FY25 study (PDF linked here), conducted by Audience Research & Analysis with Appleseed, found that the 34 races New York Road Runners hosted between April 2024 and March 2025—which attracted more than 291,000 participants and more than one million out-of-town runners, spectators, and guests—injected $934 million in incremental spending* to the local New York City economy, a 58 percent increase since the study was last conducted in FY20. These events also created more than 5,000 jobs, driving $384 million in wages and $54 million in New York City tax revenue.

Economic and fiscal impacts were calculated using the IMPLAN model and informed by survey data collected from 22k+ participants and spectators across select representative races over FY25 (including the TCS New York City Marathon). It includes direct and indirect spending and induced effects from out-of-town race participants, guests and spectators, and year-round operating expenses for New York City-based workers, residents, vendors, charities, partners, and sponsors. Both the economic and resulting fiscal impacts are incremental to New York City, i.e., they would not have occurred in the absence of NYRR’s operations. Only new spending entering the economy by those not residing here and whose trip purpose was to participate in or view New York Road Runners races, including the TCS New York City Marathon, were counted.

▶️ Watch the full 4-minute report

Audience Research & Analysis has been tracking the number of unique visitors to Lower Manhattan for The Alliance for Downtown New York since 2012.

There has been steady growth since the pandemic.

In 2024, ARA interviewed 2,932 non-group visitors (exclusive of people who lived or worked in Lower Manhattan) at 16 locations. We coupled this survey data with visitor counts shared by Lower Manhattan institutions and businesses such as Statue Cruises, 9/11 Memorial Museum, One World Observatory, National Museum of the American Indian, Governors Island, Port Authority for the Oculus/Westfield World Trade Center, and South Street Seaport. ARA has ten locations where its Intelligent Digital Counting system powered by Exteros operates year-round. For this study, we utilized the visitor counts from the Charging Bull Sculpture on Lower Broadway and Wall Street at Broad Street (by the NYSE) sensors. We supplemented automated counts with hand counts at the 9/11 Memorial Grounds and Brookfield Place. To complete the picture, we obtained non-rush-hour passenger data from the Fulton Street station, which we adjusted – through onsite intercept surveys – for those (1) not living nor working in Lower Manhattan and (2) not planning to visit one of the attractions for which we already had visitor data.

GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN OF VISITORS

INTERNATIONAL VISITATION TO LOWER MANHATTAN

East Hampton Airport Reopens with Limited Flights

In 2019 and 2021, we interviewed hundreds of passengers on summer weekends about their present and future travel plans and needs. Initially, the Town of East Hampton used this information to consider a way forward for the airport. East Hampton Settles On Restriction, Not Permanent Closure, For Airport – 27 East

Control of the airport remains a contentious issue in the community. Presently, the Town has taken over the running of the airport as a private enterprise which will curtail the number of flights. Officially, the airport will reopen just prior to this Memorial Day weekend (2022).

Helicopters vs. Homeowners: A Very Hamptons Fight

To Tip or Not to Tip: ARA Asks the Question

When the restaurant industry was considering change in how patrons handled service – fixed charge versus tipping – the NYC Hospitality Alliance came to ARA to ask frequent diners in all five boroughs what they thought. The study focused on dining preferences and price-sensitivity, and tested reaction to alternatives to traditional methods of tipping. Click here to see entire Crain’s New York Business article.

ARA Studies Tourism in the Upper Hudson Valley

Assembly member Didi Barrett Announces Grant to Bolster Tourism in Hudson
September 21, 2015

Assembly member Didi Barrett (D-Columbia, Dutchess) announced a $60,000 economic development grant has been awarded to Hudson Opera House to help promote tourism in the region. The grant is part of Governor Cuomo’s $16.7 million in funding for projects that spur growth and opportunity statewide.

“The Hudson Opera House has been a leader in the revitalization of historic downtown Hudson, which has rippled across the region,” Assemblymember Didi Barrett said. “This funding will play a crucial role in drawing visitors to enjoy our historic treasures and cultural assets—one of the economic drivers in our community.”
The grant will be used to commission a Visitor Demand Study based on primary market research to assess the needs of the growing tourism in the Upper Hudson Valley. The study will be conducted by George Wachtel of Audience Research & Analysis, who specializes in working with arts, cultural tourism, not-for-profit organizations and retailers.

“We’re thrilled to receive this grant from Market NY and work together with Assemblymember Didi Barrett, the various attractions, businesses and cultural organizations in the area to assess the needs of our growing tourism market,” said Tambra Dillon, Co-Director of the Hudson Opera House. “As the City of Hudson and the Hudson Valley continue to attract new generations of artists and audiences, the creative economy spurring the region’s renaissance is emerging as not only the core driver, but also a highly transformative one with the ability to attract new businesses and visitors to the area.”

ARA Expands the Capability of its Multilingual Survey App

With many US museums and other other destinations attracting more international visitors than ever before, ARA developed a survey app for use on iPads, iPhones and Android devices that allows the interviewer to quickly change the language of the questionnaire from English to other languages and alphabets. Expanding on its original capabilities in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese, ARA now offers on-the-fly translations into Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Dutch, Russian, Finnish, Dansih, Turkish, Pashto and Farsi.

Using this multilingual technology, ARA conducts annual visitor survey for the Alliance of Downtown New York. Visitors are interviewd at about 20 attractions and locations including the 9/11 Memorial, Wall Street, Trinity Church, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, South Street Seaport and Statue of Liberty. Other ARA clients now using our multilingual app include the Empire State Building Observatory and 9/11 Memorial Museum.

While ARA has conducted interviews in the past using paper questionnaires translated into different languages, the combination of the new technology and the ability to switch instantly to the respondents language will increase response rates and reduce bias.

Signature Theatre’s Continuing Success

A recent production from Signature Theatre NYC received accolades.

Click here→ Mysteries of Heaven and Earth.

ARA is proud to be the Signature’s market research company for ten years running.

Our Lady of Kibeho, at Signature Theatre

Demographics Track Where Theatregoers Are Going

The Broadway Theatre audience has changed, comments George Wachtel. More global, it is more diverse socio-economically, but less passionate about theatre. Click here to see entire Newsday article

50,815 People Walk By This Corner Every Day

ARA’s pedestrian counting services are put to good use in this beautiful and informative retail brochure for a retail location in Lower Manhattan.

120 Greenwich Retail Brochure Final

New NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner

NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio has appointed Tom Finkelpearl as the city’s new Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, and a fine choice it is! Tom is an artist, has been an arts administrator for years, is brilliant yet approachable, and brings a new perspective to the department having spent over two decades in the diverse borough of Queens, first at the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Museum (now part of MoMA), then at the Queens Museum, where he just oversaw a $60 million renovation that opened the museum more to its surrounding community.

As a population segment, African-Americans and people of Hispanic origin lag White-non-Hispanics and Asian-Americans in arts participation. Under Tom’s leadership the Queens Museum offered courses in Spanish, Mandarin and Korean. Tom certainly has the qualifications and experience to meet this challenge.

ARA worked with Tom on visitor research at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Museum in Queens. He is the only arts administrator I know to reside permanently and have a summer home – both in New York City (Lower Manhattan and The Rockaways). We look forward to working with Mr. Finkelpearl in his new leadership capacity.