NEW YORK, NY.- Visitors to The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s presentation of four special exhibitions during the spring/summer 2014 season—Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia, 5th to 8th Century; The Roof Garden Commission: Dan Graham with Günther Vogt; Charles James: Beyond Fashion; and Garry Winogrand—generated an estimated $753 million in spending in New York, according to a visitor survey released by the Museum today. Using the industry standard for calculating tax revenue impact, the study found that the direct tax benefit to the City and State from out-of-town visitors to the Museum totaled some $75.3 million. (Study findings below.) 53% of the out-of-town exhibition visitors reported that visiting the Met was a key motivating factor in their decision to visit New York.

Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum, noted: “As this annual survey continues to indicate, the Met’s stellar range of exhibitions, as well as its renowned collection, are recognized world-wide for their excellence, and continue to draw domestic and international visitors to New York in large numbers. This visitorship plays a vital role in the City’s cultural tourism, which is a powerful contributor to the economic well-being of New York.”

Emily K. Rafferty, President of the Metropolitan Museum—who also serves as chair of NYC & Company, the City’s official tourism agency—stated: “With travelers still coming to New York in record-breaking numbers, the Metropolitan Museum continues to hold its place as the most-visited cultural attraction in the City. We are pleased to see through this survey that the Met remains such a strong motivating force for our visitors from outside the five boroughs of New York City.”

In the spring/summer 2014 period, Lost Kingdoms, on view from April 14 through July 27, drew 197,710 visitors. Attendance for The Roof Garden Commission: Dan Graham with Günther Vogt was 559,876 during its run from April 29 through November 2. This spring’s Costume Institute exhibition on Charles James attracted 505,307 visitors from May 8 through August 10, and Garry Winogrand had a total attendance of 165,579 from June 27 through September 21, 2014. (Further details about each exhibition appear below.)

The survey found that 79% of the Museum’s visitors from May through August traveled from outside the five boroughs of New York City. Of these travelers, approximately half were domestic, and the other half international tourists. Eighty percent of travelers reported staying overnight in the City and, of these, 70% stayed in a hotel, hostel, or rented apartment. The average length of stay was 6.3 days. These out-of-town visitors reported spending an average of $1,122 per person ($746 for lodging, sightseeing, entertainment, admission to museums, and local transportation, and another $376 for shopping).

Fifty-three percent of Met out-of-town visitors cited the Met as a key motivating factor in visiting New York City. Using a scale of zero to ten, 28% of visitors responded with a rating of 8 or above when asked how important seeing one of the four exhibitions was in motivating them to visit New York, and 53% gave a rating of 8 or above with regard to the Met in general. The primary purpose of traveling to New York was pleasure for 84% of visitors, business for 3%, and combined business and pleasure for 13%. The estimated economic impact is $399 million for the portion of visitors who reported their visit was highly motivated by a trip to the Museum, and $211 million for those who said the exhibitions were a key motivation, yielding an estimated tax benefit of $39.9 million and $21.1 million, respectively.

Economic impact is calculated using the standard estimated sales tax rate.

The latest economic impact survey was conducted by the Museum’s Office of Market Research.