Once the U.S. epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, New York—and its tourism industry—was on the rebound until the omicron variant arrived. Now the city’s recovering tourism and hospitality sectors are again in jeopardy, as travelers change their plans.
The city’s hotel industry—which lost tens of thousands of good-paying jobs during the height of the pandemic—isn’t projected to make a full recovery until 2025. Citywide, more than 200 hotels closed either indefinitely or permanently through the economic downturn. Only 100 have resumed operating.
The struggling industry was dealt another blow when Mayor Bill de Blasio in October enacted the “severance law,” which requires hotels shuttered by the pandemic to
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