Covid cases are plunging in NYC. Headlines like "Here Comes the Travel Boom" are everywhere. Delta reports a 450% surge in international bookings. Tourism research firms have shaved a year off the rebound timeline in their latest forecasts—U.S. hotels could be fully recovered by next year. At City Guide we certainly think so, and we're backing that with our newly redesigned magazines hitting the city next week.

With the return of international tourism imminent, pieces are falling into place. Airline routes will stabilize and other nations will follow the U.S.'s lead, unfreezing borders around the world. We are confident a significant traveler flow is coming our way. The timing is excellent for the city's holiday push. The return of tourism tracks other indicator's of the city's health, like the luxury sales market—which is breaking records with three months of the year yet to go. There are lots of bright points on the opening/reopening front as well.

It's "a major turning point," in the words of U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. The Biden Administration is finally relaxing the rules that have kept international visitors out of the city for a year and a half. The new requirements are not too onerous—vaccines and a negative Covid test, with exceptions for kids too young to be vaccinated yet. 

As much as I’d like to dazzle you with a complete list of Broadway previews, openings and re-openings, the current roster is far from complete. Still, considering the Great White Way has been dormant for over a year and a half, the evolving influx of announcements is dramatically optimistic!

The city's prospects continue to change rapidly with Washington finally focusing on COVID recovery and Governor Cuomo releasing a slew of ideas for reimagining Manhattan. Midtown would get an infrastructure overhaul to the tune of $306 million. Er, billion. A new Port Authority, an additional train station, and a Javits Center expansion are only the beginning. (And the Biden administration has already signaled it's willing to help out municipalities as well as invest in transit.)

Whether you’re looking for something tasty during the lunch rush or a nice sit-down dinner near your hotel, you can find it within a two-block radius of the formal, French-inflected oasis that is midtown's Bryant Park.