Little by little, New York is coming back to life. Most of the health restrictions having been lifted since mid-May, vaccination going well and the number of new cases per day continuing to decrease, tourists come to enjoy a certain return to normal in the Big Apple. While most of them come from within the United States, others come from further afield to gain access to the vaccine.
Almost everyone is there. Batman and Captain America are in Times Square, where advertising neon lights and giant screens sparkle. Tourists stroll with their self-portrait poles. A man walks around with his radio, blaring the iconic song Empire State of Mind by JAY-Z and Alicia Keys In the evening, acrobats perform a show of jumps, to the applause of a mass of crowded spectators. Restaurant tables are occupied … Gradually, the city that never sleeps begins to look like it was before – with the difference that health protocols remind us that the pandemic is not over: taking temperature for enter the interior dining rooms or wear a mask in museums.
This summer, nearly 10 million people – mostly from the United States – are expected to visit New York, as estimated by NYC Company, the official agency responsible for the city’s tourism marketing. But if the situation improves, tourism is far from having fully recovered and should not return to normal before 2024, recalls the organization. In 2019, 66.6 million tourists visited New York, a record, but only 36.4 million are expected in 2021.
Take the opportunity to get vaccinated
In an effort to revive tourism despite international travel restrictions, New York City has been inviting foreign tourists for a few weeks to stay and get vaccinated for free. “New York City welcomes everyone to receive a vaccine against COVID-19,” read a poster in the subway, showing the Statue of Liberty with arms wide open.
A call answered by Amaury Hernandez and his wife, Carolina Fandino, who came from Colombia to take advantage of visiting the city at a lower price and, at the same time, to be able to be vaccinated. “We each received our dose of Johnson & Johnson on our first day,” says Hernandez. In Colombia, the vaccine is still restricted to people aged 50 and over. When we saw that the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, invited tourists to be vaccinated, we jumped at the opportunity. “
To travel, the couple only had to get tested before leaving to enter the United States. They did not need to undergo a quarantine when they arrived in New York, and will not have to do one when they return – as long as they test negative.
Sitting in the small living room of the Pod 51 hotel in Manhattan, the couple prepare their schedule for the week. They plan to visit Brooklyn, walk through Central Park, see the Empire State Building… “It feels so good to travel after a year of being completely locked up. Life resumes! »Said Amaury Hernandez, with a sigh of relief, happy to introduce New York to his wife who is coming there for the first time. “It’s so much better at the moment to travel, because there are fewer people and therefore less waiting for activities. However, I must say that it was still full in Times Square, ”he confides with some astonishment.
A return to normal expected
But despite a certain tourist rebound underlined by the Memorial Day weekend, the pandemic is still weighing heavily on the sector, underlines Vijay Dandapani, CEO of the New York City Hotel Association (HANYC).In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
According to STR, a hotel data and analytics company, hotel occupancy rates in New York City are indeed on the rise. For the week of May 22, it was close to 41% according to their calculations.
Before the pandemic, this rate was around 90% according to Mr. Dandapani. “And that’s not the only thing to consider,” he adds. There are also the prices of the rooms, which are also really below normal. It continues to cause significant losses of money. “
In the Gift on the Square store, on the corner of the iconic Times Square, shoppers don’t rush. At the counter, the manager, Daniel Zambrzycki patiently waits for a tourist to point the tip of his nose. “Normally the store would be full,” he says. I would have three employees to serve the customers and we could not be having this conversation, because it would be too crowded, ”says the one who hopes that the international borders will reopen soon.
In recent days, Mr. Zambrzycki has also noticed “a certain increase” in the number of tourists, even if the number of customers he welcomes each day in his shop is still far below what it was before the pandemic. “Right now, I have about 100 customers on weekends, and half on weekdays,” he assesses, taking out a few receipts from his cash register to count them. This represents a 90% drop in sales from 2019, Zambrzycki estimates. “The landlord is accommodating the rent, but it’s still financially complicated,” he laments.
For her part, Emma Guest-Consales, tour guide and president of the New York City Guides Association (GANYC), believes that the increase in the number of people who frequent tourist attractions is very promising “for the hundreds. professional tour guides, many of whom have been out of work for over a year ”.
New York is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, she recalls. “Tourism generates several billion dollars there. It’s a very important part of our economy, and we’re happy to see that the city is taking this seriously in trying to attract tourists. “
Mme Guest-Consales is “optimistic” about the future of tourism in New York. “I have the feeling that people want to travel! People want a change of scenery, and they feel confident about the vaccine, ”she says.
This report was funded with support from the Transat International Journalism FundThe duty.
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