New York Metropolis anticipates a summer season tourism season not like another

Staying in tune with America’s favorite cities among visitors, New York City has removed COVID-related restrictions at a breakneck pace as the city races towards the traditional start of its summer tourism season on Memorial Day weekend.

However, uncertainty clouds the coming season as business owners face a number of unprecedented challenges, most notably the lack of Broadway appearances – which are not fully booked again until September 14th – and what can be expected as a lack of foreign visitors with high expenses due to international travel bans.

The city’s tourism has been badly hit by the global pandemic. After a Tourism study April 2021 According to the Office of the New York State Comptroller, a record 10-year period in tourism ended in 2020 when visitor numbers fell 67% to 22.3 million from 66.6 million in 2019. The economic impact has been massive The economic impact of the New York City tourism industry declined 75% from $ 80.3 billion in 2019 to $ 20.2 billion in 2020.

In 2019 NYC & CompanyThe city’s tourism and marketing arm estimated that around 17.4 million visitors came in between Memorial Day and Labor Day. in the same period over 2020 this number fell to around 4 million. Thanks to the, a strong summer season is forecast for 2021 increasing numbers of Americans being vaccinatedin addition to resuming the opening of theaters, restaurants, parks, and more.

“We are very happy to welcome the visitors again New York City this summer. Domestic visitors make up 80% of our total visitor numbers in any given year, and half of these visitors are accessible by car. We are therefore optimistic that we will have 10 million visitors to the five boroughs this summer, ”said Chris Heywood, EVP, global communications at NYC & Company. “Visiting New York City this summer offers tremendous opportunities – with fewer crowds, reinvented coffee culture, performing arts in streets and parks, and value in hotels, there is so much new to see and do. “

Heywood noted iconic events are returning, including the Tribeca Film Festival in June and Shakespeare in the park in July and August.

Fifth Avenue, one of the most iconic commercial real estate sections in the world, reflects the challenges retailers in New York City faced during the pandemic. Jerome Barth, President of the Fifth Avenue Association, said the 2020 tourism season is unlike anything the Midtown shopping district has ever experienced.

“There has been very little pedestrian traffic and luckily it’s back on its way and we see more and more people on the sidewalks, in the shops and in the restaurants every day. But it’s not as far as we usually see it at this time of year, ”said Barth, who notes that hotels and retailers along Fifth Avenue took advantage of the pandemic to not only innovate temporarily, but also to make significant capital investments.

“Pierre and The Plaza are currently being renovated or prepared. Longchamp works with the Parisian bakery Angelina. Harry Winston expands his room. Lego has temporarily settled down the avenue while they renovate their flagship. Mikimoto has doubled his space. Said Barth. “We know people will come back. It’s all about when and in what role. “

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Nobody questions the importance of tourism to New York’s economic health. According to the State Comptroller’s Office, the economic impact of the tourism industry fell 75% from $ 80.3 billion in 2019 to $ 20.2 billion in 2020. Tourism accounts for 7.2% of total private sector employment and 4 .5% of private sector wages off while tourism tax is incurred. Revenue accounts for 59% of the $ 2 billion drop in city tax revenue, or about $ 1.2 billion in fiscal 2021.

After hitting a record high of 66.6 million visitors in 2019 and spending $ 47.4 billion, New York City’s visitor numbers fell 67% and their spending fell 73% in 2020.

To lure tourists back, NYC & Company and Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced the city’s largest marketing campaign to date. “We’re putting $ 30 million into this effort to reach the whole world and let people know the importance of coming back here [and that] It’s a place where you can enjoy the right, healthy and intelligent way, ”de Blasio said at a press conference late last month. The mayor has also announced plans to offer tourists a Johnson & Johnson recording
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COVID-19 vaccine as part of a push to drive more pedestrian traffic to city attractions.

No other part of the city serves as a barometer for tourism like Times Square. Every local who went through last year noticed the effects of the pandemic. according to the Times Square AllianceIn 2020, Times Square had a daily average of 125,000 pedestrians a day, a 65.3% decrease from 2019. By April 2021, the daily average had increased to just under 134,000 pedestrians a day, and on recent weekends officials have seen the count Peak with more than 185,000 pedestrians per day.

Just before the summer season, the Times Square Alliance reports that nearly 200 businesses have recently reopened, in addition to 18 new brick and mortar businesses that opened during the pandemic.

“We expect a robust return of visitors to Times Square based on the trends we’ve seen in our pedestrian numbers over the past few weeks. Many of them enjoy the al fresco dining and shopping and local shopping in the neighborhood, ”said Tom Harris, acting president and COO of the Times Square Alliance. “Our visitor numbers are still lower than before the pandemic at 365,000 per day, but we continue to monitor the number of visitors, which is slowly increasing. As soon as Broadway returns in September, we expect those numbers to rise. “

After a long period of uncertainty, the prospects on the Great White Way are looking up.

“While Broadway isn’t open this summer, many of our artists and musicians are working in other locations, including virtual, in person, and outdoors. The city comes alive with more entertainment than it does in the 16-18 months, so there’s more to enjoy every day with new announcements, “said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry. “The mood in the industry is that there is such a pent-up demand and that theater goers are ready to return to the theater.”

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Meanwhile, no area will feel the sting of Broadway’s continued absence like Times Square, which has taken active steps to mitigate the loss of nighttime theater crowds.

“We remain focused on reintroducing Times Square to New Yorkers and tri-state residents and have introduced a Times Square gift card to support small businesses, shops, bars and restaurants in our district,” said Harris from the Times Square Alliance.

He noted the array of events happening this summer – all with COVID logs – including the annual summer solstice yoga event, the Taste of Times Square Week Food and Music Festival, and outdoor music events in Broadway plazas.

The restaurants in the neighborhood have seen an increase in customer numbers in recent weeks, fueling optimism for the coming summer season.

“As the weather warms up and the reopening continues, we will see people increasingly dine in restaurants,” said Simon Sheh, owner of Silky Kitchen, located on West 46th Street.

Like many executives interviewed for this article, Barth of the Fifth Avenue Alliance views the impact of the pandemic as a pivotal moment in the city’s approach to tourism.

“One area we are focusing on is the need to improve the quality of the experience for the people on the streets of New York,” said Barth. “Eating outdoors is a trend that will continue. How can we integrate this more sustainably into the existing roads? “

Even without the appeal of Broadway, New York City offers plenty of new destinations and experiences for visitors to explore in the warm months ahead.

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“This summer, New York City has a full cultural calendar with unique exhibitions and reinvented outdoor performances, new world-class hotels in boroughs like the Aman New York and the Ace Hotel Brooklyn, and a new European-like outdoor dining and cafe culture thanks City programs like Open Streets and Open Boulevards, ”said Heywood of NYC & Company.