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The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted tourism in New York City, one of the world’s top tourist and business traveler destinations, during parts of 2020, resulting in a dramatic falloff in the number of visitors and creating a steep drop in economic activity, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

DiNapoli said a ten-year period of record growth in tourism came to an end in 2020 as 43.7 million fewer visitors came to the city, a drop of more than two-thirds (66.6 million in 2019 to 22.3 million in 2020), and the industry’s overall economic impact fell sharply from $80.3 billion in 2019 to $20.2 billion in 2020. Employment in the industry also saw a significant decline in 2020 as 89,000 (31.4 percent) jobs were lost from 2019, when employment reached a record 283,200 jobs. DiNapoli said tourists spent only $13 billion in 2020, a 73 percent decline from the prior year, which will cost the city $1.2 billion in lost tax revenues in City Fiscal Year (CFY) 2021.

“The tourism industry is a vital component of New York City’s economy,” DiNapoli said. “Visitors and their spending are essential factors in measuring the health of the economy. The pandemic’s damage to this industry has been staggering and it may take years before tourism returns to pre-pandemic levels. The city and state must help with safe reopening, while targeting relief funds to workers and to hotels, venues, restaurants and other businesses that are unlikely to recover until visitors return.”

DiNapoli said the state and city’s near-term focus remains getting more people vaccinated and reopening attractions and expanding capacity safely. He urged city and state leaders to work with stakeholders to re-ignite the new normal for New York City’s tourism industry.

DiNapoli’s recommendations include: Read more »

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Anyone in New York age 16 and up can get a Covid-19 vaccine without an appointment starting Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today.

All mass vaccination sites run by the state will take walk-ins for Covid shots starting that day. The state opened walk-in vaccines to those age 60 and up last week.

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“Lawmakers approved a bill that would require lead contamination tests in the drinking water of public parks once every three years to ensure proper monitoring and remediation if needed…”

“The state Senate also approved a ban on the use of pesticides at overnight or summer day camps for children as a way to protect water quality at those facilities.” 

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“Hatchery officials who once worried they weren’t stocking enough trout now have to worry they’ll stock too many. There are now perhaps 100,000 or 200,000 trout in the lake. Too many trout in one lake could collapse the food chain, if too many eat too much.”

“Wild fish is the wild card,” said Steve Hurst, the head of New York’s fisheries bureau.

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