How Young Adults Feel About NYC Holiday Tourism
Tali Feure, a 16-year-old high school student who has lived in New York City her whole life, calls NYC’s increased tourism for the holiday season “nauseating.” Feure believes that the holidays are so exhausting, specifically in Manhattan. She takes the subway everyday, and dreads the increase in crowds. Her typical day to day life is impacted drastically this time of year because of this.
“I go to school right in Midtown, it’s adjacent to Rockefeller Center,” Feure said. “It’s so crazy [there]. I’m just trying to get out of school.”
Holiday season in New York City is uniquely busy. Last year, roughly 6.5 million people visited the city in between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. These numbers continue to rebound from pre-pandemic levels and are expected to do the same for this year as well. The historical Rockefeller Tree, which has been a recurring tradition in the city since 1931, is a huge hub for tourists. During the holiday season, roughly 500,000 people go to see it per day. To add to that, the holiday market in Union Square was named the number one holiday market in the country, according to Yelp.
It’s a time of the year that is glamorized in popular culture. Some of the highest grossing Christmas movies to date take place in NYC, including Elf, which grossed $227.3 million worldwide, and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which grossed $358.9 million worldwide.
And the city plays the part. Many areas are adorned with twinkling lights and captivating decorations. The streets are jam-packed with people from all around the world who have dreamed of experiencing this magical escapade, navigating while bundled up in puffer jackets and chunky knit scarves. Many carry shopping bags after spending hours on Fifth Avenue, and restaurants and bars are filled with holiday reservations.
It’s the most wonderful time of year, as some say. Or is it? For many young adults, this time of the year brings a mix of emotions. For some, they feel a sense of dread and unease towards the surge in people on the streets. While others look forward to the recurring traditions — making sure to visit them each year.
Danny Smith, another 16-year-old high school student native to the city, says that he’s frustrated with all the overspending he sees — and notices an obvious increase during the holiday season. He compares this extravagance to a competition. He says that he feels displeased in how the city capitalizes on its holiday visitors.
“There’s so many tourists coming in and prancing around, buying so much stuff,” Smith explains. “There’s so much predatory advertising too, drawing everyone in.”
New York City is known for its high prices and vast shopping culture, but this is specifically higher around this time of year. According to The Lazy Trader, the average American spends roughly $1,000 on Christmas, with 70% of that reserved specifically for gifts. Out of all 50 states, New York is expected to overspend the most, according to the state’s online search history.
In addition to this, Union Square’s Holiday Market has been raising their prices in order to compensate for their loss of revenue during the pandemic. These small businesses have recognized that shoppers will pay these higher prices, with little to no pushback. They believe that it’s because consumers want to shop in person again, so they’re willing to pay the price.
In order to deal with this, Smith states that he avoids every tourist spot around the city as much as he possibly can. However, he also goes to school in midtown, right in the center of it all. Sometimes, these areas are just simply unavoidable for NYC’s young adults. Thus, creating a lot of negative emotions towards the holiday tourism.
But, not all adolescents possess such unfavorable opinions towards this Manhattan holiday hustle.
Angelina Banas, an 18-year-old college student at New Jersey Technical Institute (NJIT), says that she tries to visit a majority of the big Christmas hotspots every year once they come around. She has lived in New Jersey her whole life, and Christmas in New York is a big deal to her.
“[The Christmas displays] here really brighten my days,” said Banas. “I think it’s one thing if you’re here all the time, but if you come here every once in a while it’s nice.”
Angelina also says that seeing all the people back in the city after the pandemic is really great. The city is back to a bit of normalcy post-pandemic.
For someone who hasn’t lived in or near the city their whole life, experiencing Christmas in New York can be a rewarding experience. Moving to the area and seeing all the famous traditions can be gratifying.
19-year-old Ian Nguyen, who is also a student at NJIT, just moved to New Jersey for his freshman year of college. So far, he’s enjoyed all that the city has to offer for the holidays, and considers it quite the privilege.
“I say it’s pretty sweet, seeing it for the first time,” Nguyen stated. “I only used to see it in all the movies, now I get to actually be here.”
Whether young adults despise or enjoy this influx, the statistics show that this surge is only going to increase. This tourism brings in vast amounts of heightened business for shops and restaurants, and it continues to be on the upswing.
“Tourism is great for everyone,” Jeffrey Bank told PIX11 News. He’s the co-owner of Mermaid Oyster Bar in Manhattan. He explains that it brings in jobs, so the more promotion, the better it is for everyone involved.
As January rolls around, the blanket of Christmas will be lifted off the city — and all of the visors who came with it. Yet for Feure, she believes the magic of her version of NYC is forever constant. It’s rewarding for her, and she loves it here. Although, her city doesn’t necessarily look like what everyone else sees.
“I think that my New York is magical,” Feuer explained. “But I just don’t think that it’s magical in the way that it is on TV.”
