With lights back on, Times Square hopes to regain its 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 that a stream of moneyed travelers will hasten the area’s economic comeback. A blitz is underway to remind the vaccinated world that New York City is open for business and again beckoning. 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.