Nearly ten million people visited Lower Manhattan last year (Image lowermanhattan.info)

The National September 11 Memorial Plaza helped Lower Manhattan draw 9.8 million tourists to its streets in 2011.

Opened on the tenth anniversary of the September 2001 terrorist attacks, the memorial attracted one million visitors in its first three and a half months alone.

According to the Downtown Alliance, eight per cent, or 800,000 more people visited Lower Manhattan than in 2010, flocking to its museums, events and attractions.

“Tourism is thriving in Lower Manhattan like never before,” Downtown Alliance president Elizabeth H. Berger said, highlighting the growth in leisure travel to the area.

“While business travelers remain a significant market element, the growth of leisure visitors and special events has had a significant impact on the industry.”

NYC & Company chief executive, George Fertitta said the launch of last year’s ‘Get More NYC: Lower Manhattan’ campaign had not only contributed to the record number of tourists to visit New York City as a whole in 2011, but had succeeded in highlighting the downtown neighborhoods of the city.

“As a result of our efforts to attract visitors to New York City, we not only reached a record 50.5 million visitors in 2011, but also helped create a significant, positive impact for Lower Manhattan,” he remarked. 

“This area has seen an incredible resurgence in the last decade and will, no doubt, continue to be a focal point for the visitors from around the world.”

As well as being the gateway to the Statue of Liberty, Governors Island and Ellis Island, Lower Manhattan boasts the National Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Skyscraper Museum, the New York Stock Exchange, and Saint Paul’s and Trinity churches.