New York will take years to return tourism to pre-crisis levels

The tourism industry in the Big Apple will not return to normal for at least another four years - until 2024. This forecast was made by the city's main travel agency in its new report. Daily News.

Tourism in New York City will not recover until at least 2024. Even spreading the coronavirus vaccinescheduled for April 2021. This is evidenced by data from NYC & Company, which released the report.

“This projection was based on the release of the vaccine,” said agency spokesman Chris Heywood. "This is a preliminary forecast."

NYC & Company believes that tourism will show a sharp drop of 2020% by the end of 66, from 66,6 million tourist trips in 2019 to 22,9 million this year.

In 2019, tourists spent $ 47,4 billion in New York, and the city administration and businesses earned $ 72 billion on investment and development using this money.

But in 2020, New York City became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism was one of the first industries to be hit hard by this. Hotel workers began to lose their jobs within the first month after the virus spread throughout the city. In the midst of the pandemic, some hotels were converted to accommodate the homeless and life-support workers, while others closed permanently. And Broadway theaters will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

On the subject: New York City Without Broadway: City Loses Billions Due to Theater Closures

NYC & Company forecasts depend on a number of factors.

So, if restrictions on business travel that affect major events are lifted, the industry could return to the 2019 level within three years.

The situation could improve earlier than predicted and if international travel resumes. This, for example, happened after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 - it took four years for international travel to fully recover.

As previously wrote ForumDaily New York:

• Due to the introduction of quarantine, many New Yorkers lost their jobs, in connection with which the economy suffered enormous damage... The statewide unemployment rate of 2020% in July 15,9 was well above the national level of 10,2%.
• New York began work on steps to restore the economywhen the coronavirus epidemic subsides, back in late March.
• We wrote about how the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants plans to revive the economy of New York in this material.