Texas News Today: Foreign tourists returning to New York see long business recovery first By TYLER CLIFFORD, Reuters November 19, 2021 New York (Reuters) – New York has launched the largest tourism advertising campaign in history. John F. Kennedy International Airport is once again crowded with foreign passengers. The holiday season promises a peak of travel cheers, with more visitors on the streets and shops. But small businesses that rely on souvenir shops, carriage drivers, and vacationers said it could take weeks or more to bring their fate back to a solid level, especially before the pandemic. Daniel Zambuzicchi, owner of Gifts on the Square in Times Square, one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world, said: “It’s an advance in the pace of snails.” According to urban tourism authorities, foreign tourists bring something different to domestic tourists to New York. They tend to spend more, stay longer and bring a combination of cultures, accents and attitudes that enhance their international atmosphere. Business owners, city officials, and other major tourist destinations are closely watching when and how New York tourism emerges from the pandemic after the restrictions on overseas travel in the United States were relaxed on November 8. Vijay Dandapani, CEO of the New York City Hotel Association, considers the country’s most populous city to be a Lithomas test for tourism in other parts of the world. “New York is the biggest destination,” he said. “Many people stop by here and go elsewhere.” Current forecasts are not promising. This year, New York City Tourism Board NYC & Co expects total visitor spending to rise from about $ 47 billion in 2019 to $ 24 billion. Only 2.8 million foreign visitors are expected this year, far from the record 13.5 million in 2019, which accounted for 20% of all visitors and half of their spending. According to NYC & Co spokesman Chris Haywood, foreign visitors could triple next year to 8.5 million. However, the recovery to 2019 levels may not come until 2025, two years after domestic travel is expected to recover. By comparison, according to the agency, it took five years for international tourism in the city to fully recover after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. ‘take time’ Some souvenir shops in the Times Square area were completely closed as pandemic restrictions closed discretionary trips from around the world and parts of New York felt like a haunted town. Although pedestrian traffic has increased since the summer, the remaining shops are open in uncertain conditions. For example, Zambrzycki is worried that the surge in crime and homelessness since the pandemic began in March 2020 may discourage some foreign tourists. He said his store’s revenue remained down 65% from 2019. He has no plans to restore business hours or expand the four staff. This is half of 2019. Jalal Alif, who runs a shop called I Love NY in Phantom of Broadway, hasn’t seen a surge in customer traffic either. “It will take time,” Arif said, standing in the middle of an almost empty store. “It will never be the same as before.” To start the rebound in a hurry, NYC & Co launched up to $ 30 million in tourism campaigns, devoting $ 6 million to major international markets such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and South Korea, Haywood said. .. “Our goal is to create the urgency to book now and make New York the top of our international travel priority list.” About 20 blocks north of Times Square, Kieran Emanus has been providing carriage rides through Central Park for decades. Like a visit to the Statue of Liberty, the experience lies in the bucket list of many out-of-town visitors. Emanus had a slight increase in bookings in the first week after the restrictions were lifted. He said he would have had six shipping reservations on weekdays and twelve on weekends on a good day before the pandemic. By the way, “I would be very happy if I could get eight on the weekend.” But there are hopeful signs. He said six groups from the UK were among Emanus’ recent customers. “I haven’t seen an Englishman since the pandemic.” (Report by Tyler Clifford, New York, edited by Richard Chan) Foreign tourists returning to New York see long business recovery first Source link Foreign tourists returning to New York see long business recovery first