Van Rosendaal drinks a coffee on Monday morning as he prepares to pick up the very first travelers at the airport. Finally, the travel ban that has been in place for Europeans since March 2020 has been lifted. And that is celebrated.
“Soon I will be picking up seven tourists, with bells and whistles”, Van Rosendaal beams. “There will be waffles and drinks to welcome them, and we’ve put up a big sign that says ‘Belgians, NY missed you’.” And whether Van Rosendaal missed them. The Edegemnaar has certainly not had an easy two years. This is how he survived the corona crisis and at the beginning of September he also had to deal with storm Ida that raged over the city.
No rush
According to Brussels Airlines spokeswoman Maaike Andries, the flight to New York was already fully booked on Monday morning, and there is little chance that empty flights will leave for the city in the coming weeks. Only travel guide Patrick doesn’t notice much there yet. “The expected rush of tourists has not materialized,” he says. “There are several reasons for this. We Belgians like to plan our trips in advance, and unfortunately the announcement of the cancellation came quite late. In addition, the infections in Belgium are increasing and a trip to the US is not cheap. The autumn break is also just over. ”
Patrick Van Rosendaal in his familiar bright yellow outfit. — © Robert Chaplin
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Patrick notices from the bookings that the pandemic has hit hard for many people. “Usually I would pick up tourists in buses, but now there are only seven. More travelers will not arrive until April, which means that I still have a few months to bridge.”
He does this, among other things, by collaborating with the Belgian brand of ceramics Pomme Pidou. “I helped them build them in the US, and now they’re helping me sell ‘I love New York’ mugs (tassen, red.).” They can be found on his webshop.
New York is ready…
However, Patrick mainly wants to look at it positively. He feels that New York is ready for the tourists. “You can have a PCR test done here for free on every street corner,” he says. “In addition, New Yorkers are fully vaccinated, for example in the Museum of Natural History or Coney Island. They have also embraced the terrace culture, something very unnatural for the New Yorker.”
The guide also sees it all right. “Now is the time to come by,” he says. “People have been indoors enough already and could use a dose of New York energy.” Patrick also has the feeling that he will be able to help people with that. “I haven’t been sitting still and I’m happy to show the tourists the new attractions such as The Summit, Money Hall and Little Island.”
Patrick remains cautious about the future. The guide has the impression that the lifted travel ban is for good, because the city cannot afford such a setback again. But above all, he is very much looking forward to giving people a thorough New York bath again.
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