It's been a little over a week since international tourists were allowed back in and already we're starting to see the impacts. One promising note in an article on big bets by midtown restaurateurs is a report of a sushi counter already fully booked through Christmas—and that's at a place that just opened! It's all thanks to international travelers.

City Guide congratulates Mayor-Elect Eric Adams, who will be inaugurated as the 110th Mayor of New York City. We are hoping an influx of strong leadership will guide midtown and the broader city through our immediate challenges. On the tourism front there are some encouraging signs. National bookings are on the rise ahead of the November 8th border re-openings. Covid concerns are ebbing. Allianz Partners recently analyzed more than 2 million roundtrip itineraries and found Americans' top choice for Thanksgiving weekend is NYC. City Guide will be ready for the arrivals. This week we are putting together new print editions of the magazine, which will appear all around the city starting a week ahead of Thanksgiving.

Each year, New York City sees more than 66 million visitors, and for good reason. Beyond its rich history and cultural significance, “The Big Apple” is home to a seemingly infinite number of attractions, sites, and activities for people of all ages to enjoy. Of course, a trip to NYC requires careful planning. If you plan on visiting New York City sometime in the near future, here are eight helpful tips to keep in mind!

Covid has taught us to be humble about predictions, but the latest numbers are heartening: U.S. cases have fallen 35% in the last month. This follows many expert predictions about the Delta variant and comes with other good numbers: hotel demand and Times Square pedestrian traffic are hitting pandemic-era highs. Manhattan office leasing is at its highest level since 2019. The volume of Manhattan home sales is the highest it's been in 30 years. People are betting big on New York City.

Although the Delta variant's impact on the economy is drawing most of the headlines, it's worth noting the good news for New York that's out there as well. The city will not be competing with European destinations in light of new international restrictions. On the domestic front, the number one fall destination for Airbnb searchers? That would be New York City. NYC will be ready to greet these visitors—many coming for longer stretches than usual—as reopening news continues to post.

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We knew there would be speed bumps on the road to recovery and we're experiencing a few now. Caution over the Delta variant, rising case loads in non-vaccinated parts of the country, the CDC's new recommendations, and the continuing restrictions on international travel are all hitches on our way. But they're just hitches. The city's attractiveness to visitors remains strong. The full lineup for the August 21st Homecoming Concert has been announced and it's phenomenal. Expect to see tourists flowing into the city for that event, in addition to many more upcoming returns and openings.

In the hustle and bustle of New York city life, it can be hard to squeeze in a relaxing yet competitive activity like golf. But unlike other sports, golf offers a healthy yet tranquil outside activity. Each round provides a dynamic series of challenges and hurdles for the player to overcome, all of which help stimulate one’s physical and mental abilities. Aside from boosting physical well-being, golf can also be an avenue to boost business.

New York City now boasts one of the world's lowest COVID positive rates, raising hopes—or maybe even expectations—that the July 4th holiday weekend will reflect a full bounce back. Certainly cultural organizations are betting on New York, with a slew of live events and reopens coming on line.

Day 473 and it ends. COVID restrictions have been lifted in New York. Yesterday the governor's office made the announcement as the state hit the 70% adult vaccination threshold. This means no more social distancing or capacity limits—at least as far as the state is concerned—for sports, malls, gyms, movie theaters, or camps. Health screening is done. So is contact tracing. Despite the many losses of these past 473 days, we expect the city to move to a more celebratory stance, and the latest slate of launches supports that.

An informal exploration through Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan this past weekend revealed a shifting attitude towards masks in the city. After many months of citywide discipline, a lot more faces are suddenly visible. (The CDC is onboard with it—the latest guidance is that fully vaccinated people don't need to be masked outdoors under the right conditions.) The plummeting of the COVID rate in the city further reflects the changing times. Accordingly, capacities are expanding, and there's more opening news...

The situation for city tourism is changing in a New York minute. The latest guidance from the Governor gives us extended bar and restaurant curfews, zoo and museum capacity expanded to 50%, and movie theaters up to 33%. Sports and large event capacity moves to 25% as of May 19th. The city's COVID rate is the lowest its been in almost five months. In addition, there are plenty of green shoots on the reopening front, especially for culture.

Shunned in the past, casinos are now being considered as something that can save New York City from this dire circumstance. In addition to the online market which has a fierce competition for the best high roller casino title, investors are looking into opening a land-based facility to cater to the largely untapped “traditional” market in New York and it appears that the government is seriously considering it.

New York City was hit early and hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The city shut down in March 2020, and in many ways, has remained closed since then. The city is starting to see signs of life once again, however, and it may be the case that 2021 is one of the most compelling times to see the city. The following are some of the biggest reasons to visit New York in 2021.

We are again overflowing with reopening news, as vaccine eligibility further expands and the CDC greenlights travel for those who've got their shots. Live theatre, music, and comedy have returned at least in part—even Jerry Seinfeld is back.