8 MARCH 17, 2022 RIDGEWOOD TIMES 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 firing 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 annual events are returning.”
The Queens Tourism Council,
which was established 10 years ago
and is part of QEDC, is helping to
promote a multi-disciplinary arts
festival, “Queens Rising,” that will
take place in June. The 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 after the difficult
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.”
The 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
Tourism in Queens is on the rise as the city begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. QNS fi le photo
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. The
event attracts more than 700,000
fans and provides a wide variety
of dining options, reflecting the
vibrancy and culture of New York
City.
The 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.
The 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 Theatre, 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 Office.
The 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 Thomas
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.
The chamber has partnered with
QEDC to launch QueensBest.org, to
highlight all of the best the borough
has to offer, 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.
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
/QueensBest.org
link
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
/QueensBest.org
link
