In souvenir shops from Times Square to the World Trade Center, shelves full of T-shirts and trinkets still (heart) New York. But the proprietors wonder when their customers will, again.
The coronavirus pandemic has taken a voracious bite out of a slice of New York life as recognizable as a piece of pizza: the gifts-slash-luggage-and-sometimes-slash-electronics stores that dot tourist-friendly areas, offering Statue of Liberty figurines, toy taxis, NYPD ballcaps, Big Apple fridge magnets and anything and everything emblazoned with the famous “I (HEART) NY” logo.
Click here to read the story at usatoday.com.
Discussion Questions:
- What is hospitality and tourism?
- Why is tourism important to the economy of places like New York City?
- How has the pandemic impacted the hospitality and tourism industry?
- What do you think businesses who rely on tourism can do to survive during the pandemic?
- How would New York City’s economy be impacted if tourism shops were forced out of business because of a lack of tourism revenue?