Tourism in New York: “Left the lights on for you”

Europeans were not allowed to enter the USA for 19 months due to the pandemic. Today the so-called Travel Ban is canceled. New York’s tourism industry is hoping for a rush and billions in revenue.

“Oh my gosh, it’s times square!” – New Yorker Courtney can’t wait to hear the cheers of visitors from Europe again, which they utter when they see Times Square with their own eyes for the first time. “It’s good to have a lot of different cultures here. People ask for directions and all that. This interaction is fun. It’s part of life in New York.” Another New Yorker named Ariana agrees: “I feel like life is coming back. And it’s great to see people again and enjoy New York!”

Broadway shines in new splendor

Broadway has rushed ahead – and has lifted itself. Not just 25 shows are back. In Times Square, visitors can stroll between giant musical-themed snow globes. The queues in front of the famous ticket kiosks under the red-lit stairs, on which the newcomers will soon be posing for Instagram photos again, are still missing. “Broadway is back” trumps a lettering on it.

Let the show begin, says Tom Harris of the Times Square Alliance. The visitor ban has not only torn a deep hole in the cash register for the musicals. At the peak of 2019, tourists had left $ 47 billion in the Big Apple. Now New York is advertising a million dollar campaign to bring them back. “Tourists will find something they know about old Times Square,” promises Harris. “But we have also evolved. We have created a place here where they can have new experiences and where they feel safe and comfortable and where they can enjoy what the city has to offer.”

The smell of grass on every corner

For example, a new fragrance: Manhattan has been foggy since New York State allowed marijuana to be smoked in April. The people there also deal with the grown rat population in a relaxed manner. As a result of the long lockdown and the lack of tourist waste, they moved to the busy streets in search of food.

“For a while it was nice that it was so quiet and that we had the city to ourselves,” says a New Yorker named Tristan, “but it’s good to have people back, especially because tourism has soared in recent years And just cutting it off was a big shock. “

Souvenir sellers and restaurants are ready

“I love New York” salesman Ben has already filled his shelves with the logo: mugs, T-shirts and caps have been slow-moving in his souvenir shop for 19 months. If the tourists from Germany and Co. come, he is in the starting blocks. “We hope that things will get better from mid-November. And even stronger in December. If business doesn’t go well again by the end of the year, more stores will be closed.”

The catering industry is also hoping for a boost, says Andrew Riggie from the Hotel and Restaurant Association: “When our friends from Europe come back, that gives us a push.” New York restaurants were eagerly waiting for the Germans, French and Italians to come back to the city. But you should be patient, Riggie warns: “Unfortunately there is a shortage of workers in the restaurant industry. Some restaurants have shortened opening times, they offer smaller menus.”

But New York is special even in this phase, says New Yorker Courtney: “We are not a place to be forgotten, and it is good that people experience it.” And Times Square’s Tom Harris assures visitors: “We’re ready. We left the lights on for you.”