ALBANIA – State tourism promotion officials expect the industry to recover from a 2020 devastated by the pandemic. The reopening of large capacity venues begins and a new smartphone app that customers can use to discreetly inform a company that they are vaccinated or COVID-free.

At a virtual meeting of the Empire State Development Tourism Advisory Board on Monday, state officials discussed plans to make wider use of the Excelsior Pass program, which was pilot-tested at a few sporting events in New York City last month.

“Look, the priority is to reopen New York right now. We have to make it easy for people to come to large gatherings, ”said Council Chairperson Cristyne Nicholas.

“When we get out of this COVID season, it looks like it’s going to be a really great summer,” said Mark Dorr, president of the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association, who made a presentation to the council.

Last March, the COVID-19 pandemic largely shut down the state’s tourism industry. Art venues, sports stadiums, museums and travel destinations such as the Saratoga Race Course have all been closed to visitors to prevent the virus from spreading. But this spring, as more people get vaccinated every day and virus transmission rates drop, arts and entertainment outlets will open on April 2nd with a capacity of 33 percent, and outdoor amusement parks will open on April 9th ​​with a capacity of 25 percent Opened and catering events can have 150 people as long as all users are tested.

Also, from April 1, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo decided that people traveling to New York from other states no longer need to be quarantined upon arrival.

“The days are brighter,” said Ross Levi, the state’s executive director for tourism, who oversees the I Love New York program.

Tourism and arts officials look forward to learning more about a government initiative called the Excelsior Pass program. When both a company or venue and the user use the app, the company can instantly determine that a person has been vaccinated, despite Levi saying no other personal information will be revealed. Patrons could also print out the passport if they prefer, he said. The program is voluntary for customers, although venues may require proof that a person is vaccinated or COVID-free.

“It’s just a tool that makes it easy for us,” Levi said.

A start date for the program is not yet clear, but tourism industry groups will receive presentations on it this month and in April.

Arts organizations lost around 280,000 jobs last year and closings had a financial impact of around $ 400 million, said Mara Manes, executive director of the New York State Council on the Arts. “We really don’t know what the next few years are going to be other than that these are not normal years for any art organization,” she said.

“We’re excited for the news about the Excelsior Pass and other programs,” Manes told council members.

While it will be easier to travel across state lines this year than it was last year, the state association of the tourism industry will continue to place great emphasis on encouraging New Yorkers to vacation other parts of the Empire State, said the chairman of the association, Josiah Brown. His initiative will be called “Roamin ‘the Empire”.

“We want to evoke patriotism like a New Yorker, we want them to choose New York,” he said.

Tourism – a mainstay of the economy in the Saratoga Springs area and around Lake George and in New York City – had an economic impact of $ 117.6 billion on the state in 2019, according to the Hospitality & Tourism Association.

More from the Daily Gazette:

Categories: news