The devastating consequences of covid-19 in the tourism sector of New York in 2020 were evident to anyone who walked through the emblematic places of the city, but this Wednesday the authorities have put a figure to the debacle: 44 million fewer tourists and $ 60 billion less than in 2019.
The number of visitors plummeted 67%, from 66.6 million in 2019 to 22.3 million in 2020, and revenue from the tourism sector fell by around 75%, from $ 80.3 billion in 2019 to $ 20.2 billion in 2019. last year, the state Comptroller’s Office said in a report Wednesday.
The pandemic ended ten consecutive years of record growth for the Big Apple’s tourism sector.
But, in addition, the economic crisis caused by the pandemic swept away 89,000 jobs out of the 283,200 directly employed by this sector, that is, 31.4%.
Workers in the hotel industry in the Big Apple were among those who suffered the most from this impact, with 46% of them being laid off in 2020.
The sector employs more than 376,800 people directly and indirectly, which represents about 10% of the jobs generated by the private sector in the city.
The New York State Comptroller’s Office estimates that this drop has meant a loss to the city’s coffers of about $ 1.2 billion in uncollected taxes.
Once the negative effects of the closures that were imposed to stop the spread of the virus had been raised, the office advanced its recovery forecasts and announced that it does not believe that the city can recover the tourism muscle it had in 2019 until 2024 or 2025.
However, the report warns that “employment is unlikely to fully recover before tourist spending does.”
“In its effort to revive the tourism industry, the city cannot simply rely on vaccinations and reopening – which are necessary steps – to bring the industry back, but must also develop a proactive strategy that cultivates and attracts international travelers. and business to restore the robust health of the industry and return to the path of continuous and shared growth, “he added.
The publication of this report comes just a week after New York authorities announced the largest tourism campaign in its history to boost the city’s recovery.
An injection of 30 million dollars “to reach the whole world and tell people how important it is to come back here. It is an opportunity to be part of the rebirth, of something really special in what was the epicenter (of the pandemic) of this country for a while, “said Mayor Bill de Blasio on April 21 at the presentation of the initiative.
The campaign will focus on a first phase on local tourism, since it represents more than half the volume under normal conditions.
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