NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg says New York City attracted a record number of visitors this year but the growth in the city’s tourism industry has slowed amid a worldwide economic downturn.

Bloomberg says an estimated 47 million people visited the city in 2008 — a record high — beating last year by 1 million visitors. And those tourists generated $30 billion in spending, setting another record over last year’s $28.9 billion.

But the increase is smaller than the jumps seen in previous years. Last year, the total visitor number was 46 million, up from 44 million in 2006. And that was a rise from 42.6 million in 2005.

The city says visitors from abroad account for the increase this year — a million more international tourists came to the city in 2008.