Broadway News: On Wednesday, NYC & Company, the marketing agency for the city, revised its tourism outlook downward, projecting a decline in visitors in March, April and May related to the virus and economic volatility. While the impact on New York theater may yet be mild — with some weakness in recent sales and one Off-Broadway cancellation — the projections add to economic worries surrounding the virus and its upcoming impact on tourism-dependent industries.
4 comments:
I think it is obvious that the coronavirus outbreak is affecting travel to New York City, but it is interesting to see the ways this is affecting the different industries, especially Broadway. I am not surprised that Broadway is getting affected by this, one: because fewer people are traveling into the city, but also because of two: people who are in the city are probably being told to avoid large crowds and avoid being in very close proximity to other people. I am not sure if they will start canceling some shows, but it would be interesting to see how this virus spreads and what industries do to try to keep everyone safe. I also think it is interesting to see when priorities start switching from making money to not spreading this virus or any other illness. I think all right now they can do is monitor the situation to see if it gets worse and then take necessary actions to try to stop it from getting worse.
It’s really interesting (and scary) to see all the specific responses and precautions relating to coronavirus. Also, the fact that there’s so many articles this week about the potential impact that people are watching for in the entertainment industry regarding coronavirus is also scary. After getting constant notifications all over the media about the growing travel bans, I believe without a doubt that there will be a visible economic impact on Broadway, especially since so many visitors are international. I think it will be hard hitting when there’s no as big of a profit from this spring break time. And, with the number of cases growing daily in NYC, I imagine there will be increased concern. I’m glad to read that unions are keeping an eye on the updates—honestly, a big worry should be the health of the actors, who are working hard every night in close quarters with other people around them.
At this point, the impact of the coronavirus feels like a waiting game. After reading a bunch of articles, I can see a decent disparity between how severe people judge the situation. Many articles also have different amounts for reported cases. Being prepared is one thing, but some of the worrying feels ineffective. If sales are impacted, sales are impacted, right? I'm not really what can be done about that. This article does mention the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates, which I don't know much about but it can help at least a bit. Regardless, it is upsetting to see our industry possibly taking a hit. I'm hopeful that this piece mentions a foreseeable bounceback in the summer. It is also comforting to know that epidemics of this fashion, SARS, have been overcome and followed by strong financial comebacks. I've been looking into this epidemic more to be more informed about what's happening now.
One of the things this article clearly demonstrates is how fast information changes. When this article was published three days ago there were less than 10 cases in New York state. Now, there are almost 100 which is over 25% of the U.S. cases as a whole. Currently, I’m in NYC sitting in a hotel room and I personally have been seeing minimal effects of the virus. There have been very few folks with facemasks and Aladdin last night the only difference from previous experiences is that there were a lot of hand sanitizer dispensers around. Even the airport coming home from Pittsburgh was minimally affected. There were hand sanitizer machines every step of the way and a few signs warning about the virus. Other than that the trip went off unscathed by the virus. On another note, the article's tone when it talks about the kid's night and sensory-friendly performances is slightly concerning. By framing these events as bad for a business you are discouraging the amazing steps taken to make theatre more accessible as a whole.
Post a Comment