New York City returns to the top as the number one destination for travelers this holiday season, for the first time since the pandemic began.
More than half of Americans (55%) plan to travel this winter, 50% more than in 2020, according to the Winter Travel Index of Tripadvisor. An overwhelming majority of reservations remain national, and travelers are looking to explore new horizons in every state.
Compared to last year’s figures, vacation travel in the United States is projected to increase just over 40%, according to the U.S. Vacation Travel Survey. The Vacationer.
US residents will head to New York to shop at the Christmas markets and feast on under the 79-foot-tall, nearly 12-ton Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
Behind New York City are Orlando, Florida, Las Vegas, Key West, and Miami Beach, Florida. In particular, the second most populous city in the country, Los Angeles, was ranked No. 9.
Stacey Toussaint, an operator for a New York City tourism business, is excited about the influx of tourists. Toussaint is the president of Inside Out Tours, a business owned by black women that takes guests off the beaten track to explore the city’s less told history.
She believes that tourism can be a tool to support other small businesses in her community.
“If tourism is done correctly, tourism can actually fill the gap and generate income to keep institutions open. To the churches we visit we give a portion of our income,” Toussaint told our sister chain. NBC New York.
The Winter Travel Index found that Americans are feeling happier this holiday season compared to their international counterparts. However, the recent uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant of the coronavirus may create more of a stir.
On Monday, President Joe Biden called the new variant a cause for concern but “not a cause for panic,” and shared the message that the White House does not anticipate another widespread lockdown on the United States.
The Biden administration plans to toughen COVID-19 testing requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers.
Currently, a negative COVID-19 test is required, regardless of vaccination status. Fully vaccinated individuals must take a sample no less than three days before entering the U.S., while non-fully vaccinated travelers must take the test no more than one day prior to departure from a foreign country.
“CDC is evaluating how to make international travel as safe as possible, including pre-departure testing closest to the time of the flight and considerations for additional post-arrival testing and self-quarantine,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky. , from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, Tuesday.
This change in plan comes less than a month since the US reopened its borders to fully vaccinated international tourists.
Even despite setbacks from the pandemic, studies project a slow and promising recovery as the Big Apple navigates a post-COVID-19 future in the tourism industry.
Last month, Governor Kathy Hochul announced an inclusive $ 450 million recovery package. “Recover tourism, recover employment“which coincided with the welcome of foreign citizens.
The plan consists of a $ 100 million tourism worker recovery fund and a combined $ 125 million for grant programs. While $ 200 million is set aside to support small businesses that started just before or during the pandemic.
Although New York City saw a dramatic drop in 2020 visitors compared to the record year of 2019 of more than 66 million tourists, the city’s tourism agency is forecasting an increase in visitors in 2022.
The agency anticipates that New York City will hopefully receive just over 57 million tourists next year, mostly domestic, but nearly doubling international travelers in just one year.
The pace of recovery depends on a strong travel leisure response after a year of lockdown.
Toussaint believes there is a great future for the tourism industry in the Big Apple, a city that she says “stopped but never stopped recovering.”
– .
