End of the Tourism Boom?

Miami and Los Angeles will also likely see stronger numbers for 2008, attributable to summer tourism, but there is concern that numbers will drop in the winter holiday season and next year.

"The economic challenges that international markets are feeling are having an impact on our destination and others and for 2009, there is some anxiety." said Rolando Aedo, senior vice president of marketing and tourism at the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"There will be some softening, we are seeing it in all sectors, but we are holding our own better than others."

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One of the reasons for the higher numbers overall could be that these trips were already arranged.

"It was a different story in September," Weissenberg said. "The perception at the time was that it is a U.S. problem, then what happened in October is that the crisis immediately spread to the rest of the world. It's clearly become a global problem very quickly."

But the financial climate does not mean that all is doom and gloom for the tourism industry.

Cities are hoping to create a new marketing message that appeals to two kinds of travelers -- high-end tourists and the budget-conscious.

NYC & Co. is launching new marketing initiatives that provide tourists savings tips and point them to the free things they can do. Other cities, like Miami, are touting sports and building new airline terminals to attract more flights.

"The good news is, nowadays, people need to travel," said Mike Weingart, a travel specialist with Travel Leaders Agency in Houston. "It's a need, not a want, so they will make their trips. What we are seeing is that people who might've made two trips before might make one but make it longer."

Weingart added that there is room for U.S. tourism bureaus to market themselves to foreigners more. That could involve everything from television advertising to opening up offices around the world, which some of the major cities have done.

Another upside is that the U.S. government admitted six Eastern European countries and South Korea in its Visa Waiver Program. The program allows tourists from those countries to visit the U.S. for 90 days without obtaining a travel permit.