New York is now firmly back in business following the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, with many of the city’s most popular attractions open to visitors once again. (Featured image is by snorpey)
According to Christopher Heywood, vice president of communications for the city’s marketing arm NYC & Company, New York is “back on its feet” with 95 per cent of tourism infrastructure in the city back to normal post-Sandy.
All the major hotels, tourist attractions, Broadway and the museums in New York are open and more than 80 per cent of public transportation has been restored.
However, Heywood highlighted that the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, Ellis Island and the 9/11 Memorial will all be closed “for the foreseeable future”, while Staten Island and Queens, which both suffered damage in the storm, are still experiencing infrastructure problems.
“We are confident that business is going to get back to normal as the busy holiday season approaches,” said Heywood.
“We would encourage people coming to New York to continue with their travel plans, but they should re-confirm their booking and if people are booking a trip specifically to see the Statue of Liberty or the 9/11 Memorial, agents should let them know they aren’t open at the moment.”
Heywood went on to say that the impact of Hurricane Sandy, which damaged buildings and caused severe flooding, shouldn’t negatively affect bookings to New York
“We aren’t hearing of many widespread concerns here at WTM, but we are still in tourism recovery phase, it’s a fluid situation. So we don’t know yet what the long-term impact will be,” he added.
New York attracted 10.6 million international visitors in 2011, with the city drawing the largest amount of visitors from the UK.
The city also ranked in second place in the top 25 destinations in the world in Trip Advisor’s Traveller’s choice awards 2012, with ‘must-see’ sights including the Brooklyn Bridge, Greenwich village and Central Park.
