How many nights are spent in new york and san francisco each year on
business trips and projects/assignments? (I am looking for statistics
on the amount of business travel undertaken in and to the U.S -
Anything about length of stay and number of visits would be useful -
particular area of focus is NY and SF but would be happy for
nationwide data too)

Thanks for asking!

Here are some sources of travel statistics offering information about
business travel, in particular, business travel to New York City, and
San Francisco.


San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The SF Convention and Visitors Bureau FAQ answers many travel
questions, as well as providing a small number of travel statistics.
Links to in depth reports are also offered.

"Question #1: How many visitors does San Francisco host annually?

Answer: The number of travelers visiting San Francisco changes each
year. In 2002, San Francisco hosted approximately 13.7 million
visitors. Of these visitors, 10 million came from outside the
nine-county Bay Area. The remaining 3.7 million were Bay Area
residents on leisure trips to The City."

San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau FAQ
http://www.sfvisitor.org/research/html/FAQ.html#1

Breakdown of SF Annual Visitor Volume and Spending (.pdf format)
http://www.sfvisitor.org/research/download/2001results.pdf

Note: Statistics apply only to the City and County of San Francisco,
not the Bay Area in general.


NYC & Company
----------------------------------------------------------------------

NYC & Company (formerly the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau)
offers a few statistics on their website, but their comprehensive
domestic travel stats are available only for a fee. The page lists the
available free stats, and offs a link to a .pdf order form for the
comprehensive reports.

Tourism - NYC Statistics
http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=57

9/11 Talking Point offers pre/post 9/11 stats that describe both
domestic and international business travel to NYC.

Talking Point Facts and Figures (Updated 6/2003)
http://www.nycvisit.com/_uploads/docs/WTCTalkingPoints5_06_03.pdf


State of California Tourism Statistics 

Visitors (By County)
http://gocalif.ca.gov/state/tourism/tour_htmldisplay.jsp?sFilePath=/tourism/htdocs/research_stats/RS_CountyVolumes.html

Domestic Travel To and Through California
http://gocalif.ca.gov/state/tourism/tour_htmldisplay.jsp?sFilePath=/tourism/htdocs/research_stats/RS_DomTravel.html


http://gocalif.ca.gov/state/tourism/tour_htmldisplay.jsp?sFilePath=/tourism/htdocs/research_stats/RS_LeisureTravel.html


Additional References
----------------------------------------------------------------------

California Lodging Report (2003)
San Francisco Lodging Market Analysis (located halfway down the page)
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2003_3rd/Aug03_CalifMidYear.html

San Francisco Report - 2002 National Lodging Forecast
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2002_1st/Feb02_EYNationalReportSanFrancisco.html

Manhattan Report - 2002 National Lodging Forecast
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2002_1st/Feb02_EYNationalReportManhattan.html

Bureau of Transportation Statistics
America on the Go - US Business Travel
http://www.bts.gov/publications/america_on_the_go/us_business_travel/

The Travel Industry Association of America offers summary reports of
travel statistics. The majority of their research statistics, trends,
analysis are available only by membership or subscription.

TIA Travel Statistics and Trends
http://www.tia.org/Travel/

The Office of Travel and Tourism Industries
(Mostly) Free statistics on International Travel to the U.S.
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/


I hope you find these resources helpful. If you have any questions
about the links provided, please let me know.

---larre

Thank you so much - this is the first time i've used the service and
i'm very impressed.

Thank you! Glad to be of service. ---l