As tourism brightens, Times Square hopes to regain luster

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Even as visitors again crowd below the jumbo screens in New York’s Times Square, the souvenir shops, restaurants, hotels and entrepreneurs within the iconic U.S. landmark are still reeling from a staggering pandemic. With vaccinated foreign tourists now welcomed back into the United States, New York City is hoping a stream of moneyed travelers will hasten the area’s economic comeback. A media blitz is underway to remind the vaccinated world that the city is open for business. New York City had been posting record numbers of tourists — 66.6 million in 2019. How quickly the area recovers could be a barometer for the rest of the U.S. tourism industry.