Tourism officials in New York are celebrating after welcoming a record 52 million visitors in 2012.

This comes despite the impact of super-storm Sandy, which hit the city late last year causing days of flight cancellations and disruption.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYC & Company chief executive George Fertitta revealed tourist arrivals were up 2.1 per cent over 2011.

A record 29 million hotel rooms nights were sold, generating a record $504 million in hotel tax revenue.

Bloomberg said the city was on its way to achieving a new goal of 55 million visitors and $70 billion in economic impact by 2015.

The mayor recently unveiled plans to redevelop Staten Island as part of ongoing efforts to boost visitor numbers.