Despite the financial downturn, New York City’s tourism industry barely suffered last year. And there’s no indication the city is slowing down any time soon.

The record number of 50 million tourists and the title of “Top Business Destination” from Jetabroad proves it.

In addition to being named a top location for corporate meetings and conferences by Jetabroad, New York also came in second in the U.S. Vacations category in US News’ 2012-2013 “Best Vacations” list, which ranks destinations by regions.

In a press release, Jetabroad attributed the high rank of New York City to venue availability, strong transport links, world-class networking opportunities and tourist appeal.

“New York has long been one of the world’s central destinations for business and leisure, and deserves its title as best business destination in the U.S.,” Darin Walters, manaing editor of Sydney-based Jetabroad, said.

In addition to its sights, shopping and cultural history, New York also houses the industries most appealing to business travelers.

Donna Quadri-Felitti, clinical associate professor at the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management, said the financial industry is alive and well even with the recent recession.

“So collectively, whether it’s great institutions like NYU, Mount Sinai, Sloan Kettering, Wall Street, Time Warner, many other media empires, all you have to do is look at this to know that in terms of business, New York is still the place to be,” Quadri-Felitti said. “Corporate travel is coming back, just as it would in any normal, economic cycle.”

Though New York City does not have the largest convention center in the country, Quadri-Felitti said the benefits of the city are a huge draw.

“Convention attendees, of course, want appropriate convention facilities, but they also want the other things that come with travel [such as] restaurants, shopping [and] cultural activities,” she added.

For some students at NYU, the benefits of New York greatly factored into their college decision. Cara Scott, a LSP freshman, picked the multicultural environment as one of the key reasons she chose NYU.

“Being able to step outside and hear all these different languages helps to enrich my academic experience,” Scott said. “I came to New York because it is the hub of global interactions.”

Luis Lapuente, a construction worker, took a break from putting up scaffolding on University Place to share his ideas about why New York is a popular destination:

“There are many people from all over the world. That’s why people like to come here,” Lapuente said. “And everybody is nice. Everybody.”

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Sept. 11 print edition. Margaret Eby is a contributing writer. Email her at [email protected].