New York State Suffers Precipitous Tourism Drop

The coronavirus pandemic is taking its toll on tourism all across the country, and certainly the world.

New York State last week announced just how precipitous a drop it’s been.

Tourism spending in the entire state is down 72 percent since March 1, or about $38 billion compared to the same time period in 2019, according to Spectrum News.

While there are numerous places across the state to vacation in – the Hudson Valley, the Finger Lakes, the Leatherstocking Region, Niagara Falls, to name a few – the bulk of that, obviously, would normally have gone to New York City.

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It’s one reason why New York City recently announced its own new ad campaign to bring back both tourists and locals.

A good portion of the major reduction in tourism is the restrictions New York has placed on other states. Almost 40 states and U.S. territories are being told that if they come to New York State they must quarantine for the first 14 days they are here, certainly a roadblock for many.

The American Society of Travel Advisors has asked New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to reconsider the measure.

Spectrum News noted that in the most recent State Department of Labor report, employment in the tourism industry is down 48 percent since February of this year – and February is not even the peak tourism season. Robert Provost, president and CEO of the New York State Tourism Industry Association, says they are seeing an increase of New Yorkers finding ways to still spend their vacation days, just here in the state.

"I don’t want to downplay the fact that we have some very grim numbers," Provost said. "But the silver lining is we also have some very good stories to tell. And as we spoke about earlier, the road less traveled is the big success story in New York State Tourism. The folks in the Adirondacks had record visitation in many cases, I have heard wonderful stories from Western New York, the Chautauqua region, the Finger Lakes, parts of the Catskills. Markets that are more attuned to the family visitors or the couples."

Provost says they are working with the State Assembly and State Senate to try and introduce a proclamation, declaring the week of January 25, 2021, as Explore New York Week, to encourage more New Yorkers to get out and travel around the state.

"We’re hoping that our state residents hear a different part of the story, which is if you keep your travel in the state this year, this year being 2021, you’re going to help re-employ your fellow New Yorkers. It will help put people back to work," he said.