16 THE QUEENS COURIER • MARCH 17, 2022 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
COVID-19, two years later
Queens tourism slowly rising as visitors return to the ‘World’s Borough’
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
When Queens became the “epicenter of
the epicenter” of the global health crisis in
March 2020, tourism in the ‘World’s Borough’
came to a halt. Restaurants, transportation,
recreation and sporting events
were canceled, as COVID-19 shuttered the
doors of establishments and devastated the
local economy.
Two years later, as Queens emerges
from the pandemic, the Queens Tourism
Council in partnership with the Queens
Chamber of Commerce is working toward
revitalizing the economy and bringing
people together again.
“Tourism has been slowly growing, and
we were fi ring on all cylinders before
COVID. Everyone was doing great,” said
Rob MacKay, public relations, marketing
and tourism, Queens Economic Development
Council (QEDC). “We lost a lot of
that during COVID, but I feel like we are
revving up — we are going to have a good
summer. People are starting to go out more,
and new restaurants are always opening up,
and a nnual events are returning.”
Th e Queens Tourism Council, which
was established 10 years ago and is part
of QEDC, is helping to promote a multidisciplinary
arts festival, “Queens Rising,”
that will take place in June. Th e monthlong
event will highlight the cultural
and creative diversity of Queens through
unique performances, exhibitions and
commissions.
Spearheaded by a coalition of major arts
organizations in the borough, the festival
will serve as a beacon of light aft er the diffi
cult challenges of a health and economic
crisis, which prevented the public from experiencing
the arts in person, and a period
of social struggle for racial equity that has
forced a deep reckoning across society, the
coalition said on its website.
“We want people to know that Queens
is back and promote all of the wonderful
things going on,” MacKay said. “I also have
a feeling that it will be a great summer in
the Rockaways, too, with more people at
the beach and dining at restaurants.”
Th e tourism industry is vital to Queens’
revival, according to MacKay.
“Restaurants, hotels, transportation and
the amount of jobs in Queens are dependent
on the tourism industry, along with
John F. Kennedy International Airport and
LaGuardia Airport,” MacKay said.
Queens is a host to the U.S. Open Tennis
Championships at the USTA Billie Jean
King National Tennis Center in Flushing
Meadows Corona Park, which starts on the
last Monday of August and continues for
two weeks into September. Th e event attracts
more than 700,000 fans and provides
a wide variety of dining options, refl ecting
the vibrancy and culture of New York City.
Th e park is also home to Citi Field — the
ballpark of Major League Baseball’s New
York Mets — and the popular international
Queens Night Market. In South Ozone
Park, Resorts World Casino New York
is another popular attraction for people,
according to MacKay.
Th e borough’s cultural institutions and
museums, such as Flushing Town Hall,
the Museum of Moving Image, the New
York Hall of Science, Queens Museum and
Queens Th eatre, also provide a variety of
programs for children and their families.
While the majority of the city’s tourism
jobs (57.6%) are located in Manhattan, the
second-highest concentration of jobs related
to tourism is in Queens, according to
a report from the NYS Comptroller’s Offi ce.
Th e Astoria and Long Island City area had
the highest share of total employment in
tourism-related industries, at 19%, which
was driven by employment in scheduled air
passenger transportation.
As Queens, and the entire region, looks
to recover from the economic devastation
caused by the pandemic, tourism will be vital,
said Th omas Grech, president and CEO
of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
“We are fortunate to be home to two
airports that serve tens of millions of
passengers every year, and the continued
investment to transform John F. Kennedy
International Airport and LaGuardia Airport
into world-class aviation infrastructure
that will have a transformative impact
on Queens, creating jobs and catalyzing
economic activity that support local small
businesses, especially MWBEs,” Grech
said.
Additionally, Grech says, they want to
make sure that people visiting New York
know of all the amazing dining, hospitality
and cultural amenities that make Queens
special.
Th e chamber has partnered with QEDC
to launch QueensBest.org, to highlight all
of the best the borough has to off er, Grech
said.
“Whether you’re visiting from abroad, or
a lifelong resident of Queens, the website
has something for you. And by dining and
shopping locally, you’ll be helping to create
jobs locally. It’s a win-win,” Grech said.
QNS fi le photo
With the baseball season returning and COVID-19 restrictions easing, the New York Mets should draw big crowds back to Citi Field.
QNS fi le photo
Tourism in Queens is on the rise as the city continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
/QueensBest.org
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