Ep 12. I Love NY, Still

New York Gritty

Almost 67 million people visited New York in 2019. Tourists spent over $40 billion while in the city that year. The tourism industry supported more than 403,000 jobs in New York before the pandemic. While domestic tourists started returning in the 2nd quarter of 2021, there's a long way to go before reaching pre-pandemic figures, and international travel is still at a virtual standstill. New York depends greatly on tourist dollars. The outlook is for a big increase in visitors when Broadway reopens in September. But most forecasts say tourism in New York won't reach pre-pandemic levels again until 2024. There's a renewed push to tell travelers that New York is open for business, and it's never been more affordable. An overabundance of hotel rooms means you can spend a night in New York at a good hotel for as little as $100 a night.