Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Cristyne L. Nicholas, president and CEO at NYC &Company, announced that 2003 saw historic gains in visitors to New York City, with an increase of seven percent to 37.83 million. The message was that the tourism in New York City was back on its feet.
But Chinatown, which relies heavily on tourism, did not have the same level of growth. Some people pointed out that indeed there was an increase in the number of tourists, but it didn’t bring them more business. As well, there are still problems in Chinatown itself that limit the number of tourists it can attract, including the difficulty in transportation and the lack of parking spaces, which need to be solved.
According to Mayor Bloomberg, New York City’s new record numbers, compared to previous record of 36.4 million visitors in 1999, fully reflects that tourism is on its way to recovery, especially with visitors spending a total of $16 billion.
The increase was mainly due to domestic visitors – from 32 million in 2002 to 33 million last year – as the number of international visitors fell from 5.1 million in 2002 to 4.8 million in 2003. The mayor attributed the decline to the war in Iraq and the eruption of SARS virus in some Asian countries.
Shi-rui Tian, president of the Better Chinatown Society, said that despite the good news, Chinatown is not benefiting. Many business owners told Tian that although they do see more visitors, they are spending little money. Many restaurants are struggling, since business has not reached pre-9/11 levels.
Telly Wong, project manager of the Explore Chinatown campaign, which is supported by NYC &Company, said Chinatown has to change its image as a place to get good food to draw people by the culture and art that it can offer a visitor in order to attract more tourists.
The increasing number of visitors is definitely a positive sign for Chinatown, said Wong, indicating that NYC &Company is coordinating with other agencies to promote Chinatown’s many attractions. Already, there are more than 50 Chinatown stores and restaurants participating in the “Come Early Stay Late” campaign, which aims to lure more visitors to the area.
Yet, Tian says no matter how much effort the city government makes to promote tourism in Chinatown, if the area’s longstanding problems remain unresolved, the outcome could be limited. Citing the lack of parking space in Chinatown, Tian said people come to dine in Chinatown but it difficult to park in the area. The inconvenience makes them choose another location next time they are dining out.
In addition, the city’s tour buses do not make a stop in Chinatown, but on the outskirts. According to Tian, tour buses, which have more than 100 shifts every day back and forth, could set a stop in either Canal Street or Mott Street, and bring even more people into Chinatown.
