"Accelerating the Return of Regional Visitors to Broadway"
A Center for an Urban Future Policy Symposium

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Event Materials

New York City’s tourism sector has made a strong recovery from the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, but one area still lags behind: trips into the city from people living in the surrounding region. This shortfall has been especially pronounced in Times Square, hitting Broadway theaters particularly hard. Indeed, as of September, Broadway ticket sales to individuals living in New Jersey, Westchester, and other suburban areas were still down 15 to 20 percent from 2019 levels.

This forum dove into the factors that have contributed to the slow recovery of regional visitors to Broadway, from the persistence of hybrid work and safety concerns, to excessive traffic along Eighth Avenue, to a pedestrian environment and streetscape with plenty of room for reinvention. Our speakers put forward concrete ideas and solutions to accelerate the return of regional visitors and bolster the experience of living, working, and playing in New York’s vital Theater District.

Speakers included:

• Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney
• Erik Bottcher, New York City Council Member 
• Damian Bazadona, Founder and President, Situation Group
• Charles Flateman, Executive Vice President, Shubert Organization; Board Chair, New York City Tourism + Conventions
• Tom Harris, President, Times Square Alliance
• Jee Mee Kim-Diaz, City Executive, Arcadis

This forum was made possible through generous support from The Shubert Organization. We are also grateful for general support from The Clark Foundation, The Altman Foundation, and ongoing support from a number of other philanthropic funders.