[iheartthed]

New York wants its foreign tourists back.

As Borders Reopen, New York Wants Foreign Tourists Back, and Fast

The city’s tourism marketing agency is starting a campaign in several countries to attract visitors after the long pandemic lockout.

As New York City struggles to revive its economy from the devastation wrought by the pandemic, one key element is still missing: big-spending foreign tourists.

Before the coronavirus arrived, the city was flooded with record numbers of visitors from Europe, Asia and South America. They filled hotels, restaurants, Broadway theaters and museums, spending billions of dollars and fueling a surge of jobs for local residents.

Now that the federal government has decided to open the country’s borders to vaccinated visitors on Nov. 8, New York City is preparing its most aggressive campaign to lure them back quickly — in time to salvage, if it can, the end-of-year holiday season.

While visitors from across the United States have streamed back into the city, the absence of foreign tourists has left a gaping hole in the city’s economy because they tend to stay longer and spend more money.

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To spur the tourists’ return, NYC & Company is partnering with foreign airlines like British Airways and big tour operators in countries that have been reliable sources of visitors, including England, Germany and Brazil. The advertising campaign will also run this year in Canada, Mexico, France, Italy and South Korea.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/20/n...c-tourism.html