NYC Ferry Kicks Off Summer 2025 with Return of ‘Rockaway Reserve’ and ‘Rockaway Rocket’, NYC Beaches Expected to Deliver Record-Breaking Economic Impact

New Analysis Shows NYC Beaches Create Roughly 1,200 Seasonal Jobs, Generate Nearly $80 Million in Economic Impact to New York City

NYC Ferry Summer Schedule Returns, Expecting Record Ridership to Rockaways as well as many other Popular Destinations

NEW YORK, NY—This week, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NYC Ferry kickstarted NYC Ferry’s summer schedule, announcing the return of the popular ‘Rockaway Reserve’ and ‘Rockaway Rocket’ to accommodate increased passenger traffic to New York City beaches during the summer season and amid record ridership. This announcement comes as NYCEDC released a new analysis on the economic impact of beach season, Beyond the Boardwalk: NYC Beaches as Economic Engines, which shows visitations to New York City beaches up year-over-year, driving job creation and generating nearly $80 million in spending by tourists each season.

In a first-ever analysis of New York City’s beach season, new data shows:

• Rockaway Beach and Coney Island supported roughly 1,200 seasonal jobs in 2024, and tourists traveling to those locales generated nearly $80 million in direct spending.
• New York City beaches welcomed 11.6 million visitors in 2024, a year-over-year increase of more than 230,000 people.
• Nearly a quarter of all beach visitors in summer 2024 came from outside the city.
• Four beaches saw their highest visitation since 2020: Cedar Grove, Rockaway, Seagate, and Manhattan beaches.
• The new Gansevoort beach saw 105,000 visits in its first full season.

“Whether it’s the most jobs in city history, the most small businesses in city history, or the most ferry riders in city history, our administration has broken record after record to create a stronger economy and a more affordable city,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “As we start the summer season, we are excited to take those efforts to the next level, bringing back extra ferries to our world-renowned beaches and other popular destinations, creating more than 1,200 seasonal jobs, and generating tens of millions in spending for our city’s businesses. There is no place to spend the summer like New York City, and, with these services, we will help even more people do just that.”

“As we enter into the warm summer months, New York City's economy is also heating up from the tourism and seasonal jobs created by our beaches,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión, Jr. “I am excited for the start of our summer ferry service and for New Yorkers and visitors alike to take advantage of all the city has to offer this summer.”

“With summer 2025 just around the corner, New Yorkers are more excited than ever before to take advantage of everything the City has to offer in the warmer months.” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “From NYC Ferry to the NYC beaches, we’re building on a strong year of ridership and economic data to ensure that we continue to make all five boroughs more accessible and spur economic activity across the City.”

“New York City beaches are more than just places to relax and enjoy some summer fun — they also serve as important drivers of local economies and create a significant number of seasonal jobs,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “We’re thrilled to welcome people back to our public beaches this summer and we encourage visitors to support local businesses while enjoying their time at the shore.”

Return of the Rockaway Rocket and Rockaway Reserve

• Rockaway Reserve: Starting Memorial Day weekend through September 7th, on weekends and holidays, riders can reserve a spot on select morning trips towards the Rockaways and afternoon trips back to Wall St./Pier 11 and Brooklyn Army Terminal along the Rockaway route.
• Rockaway Rocket: Returning to Long Island City and Greenpoint to provide express, all-reserve service, Rockaway Rocket service will start on July 4th and go through Labor Day weekend. A dedicated beach service, the Rocket will operate two direct morning trips to Rockaway from Long Island City and Greenpoint and two afternoon return trips back.

Rockaway Reserve and Rockaway Rocket tickets are $12 and include priority boarding and a guaranteed spot on board a specific departure. Non-reserved seats (more than half of each boat) will continue to be available at the regular $4.50 fare, as well as $2.90 10-pack tickets or $1.45 reduced fare tickets. Onboard bike space is limited. If you purchase a Rockaway Reserve or Rocket ticket and would like to bring your bike onboard, you must additionally reserve a $0 bicycle ticket in advance when purchasing your ticket in the NYC Ferry app.

NYC Ferry, which saw more than 7.4 million riders in 2024—the highest ridership in its history—is already seeing a five percent increase in ridership, with eight record-setting weeks to start the year. In Summer 2024, NYC Ferry recorded its highest ridership to the Rockaways since the end of the pandemic, with more than 167,000 passengers boarding at Wall St./Pier 11 and Sunset Park/BAT heading to the Queens neighborhood. Since the launch of ‘NYC Ferry Forward,’ NYCEDC and NYC Ferry continues to see record ridership, while lowering the per passenger subsidy over 30 percent from its peak, and hitting all-time highs of farebox revenue.

“Whether travelling to work or the beach, New Yorkers’ continue to flock to NYC Ferry for a reliable, affordable, and fast trip across our local waterways,” said Timothy O’Brien, SVP of Ferries and Transportation at Hornblower Group, the operator of NYC Ferry. “Our crew looks forward to welcoming millions of passengers onboard throughout another successful and economically impactful summer season.”

“As Rockaway's historic renaissance continues, ensuring New Yorkers and tourists alike have easy access to the peninsula's acclaimed beaches, cuisine and culture is a critical investment in its economic health more than anything else. So I couldn't be more excited to welcome back the Rockaway Rocket and the Rockaway Reserve for what's shaping up to be another successful beach season,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “Thank you to our friends at NYC EDC and NYC Ferry for their partnership in delivering transit equity for Rockaway families and for making the beauty of the peninsula more accessible to all, no matter where they live.”

“Rockaway Beach is one of the crown jewels of New York City, and the expanded service helps to make sure even more people will get to come out and enjoy all that the area has to offer,” said New York City Council Member Joann Ariola. “The return of the Rockaway Rocket and Rockaway Reserve means more families can enjoy the beach, and more foot traffic for local businesses. That's something everyone can be grateful for!”

“The use of the ferry during the summer season has now become a staple for Rockaway residents and visitors alike,” said Felicia Jones, District Manager, Community Board #14Q. “We are pleased to hear that EDC is bringing back the Rockaway Reserve and Rockaway Rocket services. This has proven to be a great way for all our visitors to reserve their spot on the ferry, so they can come out and spend a day at our beautiful beaches and enjoy our many sights and eateries that the peninsula has to offer. I am sure all will be glad to hear that these services are returning for this summer season.”

NYC Ferry already has the lowest per passenger subsidy of any publicly funded passenger-only ferry system in the United States, and of the major transit systems in the New York region, NYC Ferry operates at a lower per passenger subsidy than the Long Island Railroad, Metro-North, and Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) express or commuter bus systems.

The NYC Ferry system provides more than seven million riders annually with safe, dependable, affordable, and accessible transit across the five boroughs. With six routes that touch every borough, 25 landings, and 38 vessels, the system spans 70 nautical miles and has the largest passenger-only fleet in the nation. NYC Ferry has further proven to be among New York City's most resilient transit network with the fastest ridership recovery of any city transit system since the pandemic.

Methodology

NYCEDC used cell phone mobility data collected from Placer.ai to get estimates of visits to NYC beaches, which is also used for economic impact estimates. Transportation data is from the MTA’s subway origin-destination ridership and from the NYC Ferry ridership datasets. Business and employment estimates are based on Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data from NYS Department of Labor. Visitor spending estimates are based on data provided by NYC Tourism and Conventions.

About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.