NYC Tourism Reveals Hopeful Indicators Of Restoration From COVID

NEW YORK CITY – Tourism in New York City was tense during the coronavirus crisis, leaving hotels empty and iconic landmarks equally empty.

With the much-lauded “Summer of New York City” approaching, there are small but growing signs that visitors are returning to the city.

Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced that 400,000 hotel rooms had been booked in a single week.

“I didn’t expect it to be that fast,” he said. “It happens, and it’s amazing to see, and this is going to be another of the things that drive New York City’s summer.”

NYC & Company Tourism Officials project that 10 million visitors comes to town this summer. That’s roughly half the number of visitors to the city in 2019, but still a lot more than the 4 million counted last summer.

With coronavirus restrictions lifted as vaccinations increase, there are more signs that the city could hit the 10 million visitor mark.

Airbnb reported that 62 percent of its rentals in New York City are scheduled for stays of more than 30 days this summer.

The longer Airbnb stays are not a complete surprise, as short-term rentals of less than 30 days in the city are officially illegal, but enforcement is patchy at best. And Airbnb has long strived to position its rentals as well for the city’s economy, especially as potentially stricter regulations threatenas recently described in the Wall Street Journal.

“The new trends we’re seeing show that travelers are returning to NYC and looking to experience the magic of the city in different ways,” said Alex Dagg, Northeast Policy Director at Airbnb, in a statement. “No other city in the country has been hit as hard as New York, and we look forward to working with city leaders to ensure that community sharing is an important part of New York City’s recreation.”

Traditional New York City hotels are still not up to pre-coronavirus capacity. Many have closed because of the pandemic and others have housed people who are homeless or in quarantine during COVID-19 infections.

The city’s most recent room occupancy was 47.5 percent, including open and closed hotels, according to data STR, a data company.

But with only open hotels, the hotel occupancy is 62.3 percent, as STR data shows. This corresponds roughly to the national average of 66 percent.

De Blasio said on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show Friday that he expects the city to recover faster than predicted.

“I think this summer is going to attract a lot of activity, including a lot more tourism than we expected,” he said.