Why the arts have been at the center of New York’s tourism recovery

State Sen. Jose M. Serrano plays a key role in steering the Legislature’s approach to boost tourism and the arts. The Democratic lawmaker, who represents parts of the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, has served as chair of the state Senate Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee since 2019. Serrano shared his thoughts on New York City and New York state’s tourism rebound since the COVID-19 pandemic with City & State. This interview was edited for length and clarity.

What have been the key bills that have come through the state Senate Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee this session?

This year both houses of the Legislature passed my bill, S.253A, which requires New York state to establish a Cultural Districts program. This bill would help nurture and enhance culturally significant areas through New York by connecting them with technical assistance, marketing expertise and additional resources.

The state comptroller recently put out a report showing that New York City tourism is approaching a full recovery. Have you seen it or reviewed it? What’s your reaction?

The comptroller’s report backs up what we have been seeing out in the community – visitors are coming back to New York City in large numbers. According to the report, the majority of those visitors are domestic travelers, and I believe that as we continue to rebound from the pandemic, many international travelers will return to our city as well. I think we are heading in the right direction of rebuilding our tourism sector and increasing our visitor rate. Post-COVID-19, I think there is a general understanding that people seek cultural experiences, and the rebound of the cultural sector has contributed mightily to increased foot traffic.

According to data from Empire State Development, upstate and Long Island have been ahead of New York City in terms of a tourism rebound in New York. Why do you think that is?

New Yorkers have shown that they are ready to get out, attend shows and events, travel and visit their favorite recreational locations. Many of our state parks, as well as popular destinations in the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains regularly met full capacity last summer. While it is absolutely wonderful that we are seeing increased visitorship at our parks and natural places, we must ensure that we protect our green spaces, and encourage visitors to be stewards of the parks.

Some areas of international travel haven’t fully rebounded to pre-pandemic heights, and New York City feels that more than upstate or Long Island. However, New York City has shown a lot of fight, and, while our smaller theaters continue to struggle, large events are back, and the doors are open at institutions big and small across the city that attract people to visit here.

How well is Empire State Development doing in its efforts to promote tourism in the state?

The state’s support for the arts was focused during COVID-19 to support more small organizations, individual artists and new grantees in order to stimulate grassroots arts movements outside the known destinations. This has helped create vibrancy in these communities, promoting day trips and encouraging cultural tourism.

ESD has continued to be a vital partner in promoting and supporting tourism. This year’s final state budget included funding to ESD for several programs that promote the tourism industry. Programs such as I Love New York, Market New York and local tourism matching grants focus on funding and expanding tourism to all corners of the state.

During the pandemic, federal financial support provided a major infusion of funding for many of our cultural institutions, helping them to survive fiscally. It is imperative that state operating grant support remain vigorous now that most of the federal programs that cultural institutions relied on during COVID-19 have expired.

What parts of the tourism economy are you focusing on, and why?

My focus is on passing legislation and supporting state funding and initiatives that support the arts, our parks, and our tourism economy. New York City is the cultural capital of the world, and the arts and culture sector are a major economic engine for our communities. We need to continue to shift our perspective on the arts and culture as being “nice” if we can have them, and look at them as the powerful tourism and economic powerhouses that they are.

In addition, we need to focus on increasing and retaining jobs in the tourism sector. During the pandemic, and even after, many cultural and arts organizations closed, thus creating a huge gap in our workforce. I believe we must do all that we can to support the arts as they recover from the pandemic, as these institutions are what drive the state’s tourism sector and provide countless jobs for New Yorkers across the state.