China Overseas Chinese Network, January 3, according to the US "Overseas News" report, January 1 is the first day of the New Year's Day long weekend holiday. Despite the cold weather, there are still some crowds on the streets of Chinatown in Manhattan, New York, and many people are still there. There are long queues in the outdoor dining area waiting for a meal, and the catering business is slightly better than before.
However, the second wave of the epidemic caused a serious loss of foreign tourists. The business of the most prosperous gift shop during the festival in previous years fell to the bottom. The industry lamented that most of the customers "cannot buy", and they can only sell more than ten yuan a day. Electricity costs are hard to recover.
On the first day of the new year, although the streets and lanes of Chinatown are not as bustling as in previous years, they also rarely welcome a small number of people.
Tourists from other states stopped in front of street shops and various Chinese restaurants. Many Chinese people also went out to dinner with relatives and friends. There were diners waiting in line in front of the outdoor dining areas of many restaurants in Chinatown.
The waiter of the Lao Zhengxing restaurant said that the business on New Year's Day was nothing compared to previous years. Customers watched people line up, but there were only 6 or 7 tables for outdoor dining, and there were basically no customers after the dining spot.
Many diners were waiting outside at the Be Street restaurant on the day of gathering, and the gift shop adjacent to the restaurant attracted the attention of many waiting customers.
Ms. Li, a gift shop owner who has been operating in Chinatown for more than ten years, said that the number of guests on New Year's Day has indeed increased significantly, but most people spend their time waiting for meals, and there are still very few customers who actually buy things.
Ms. Li said that in recent years, the business of gift shops in Chinatown has become more and more difficult. This year, the epidemic has dropped to the bottom, and the business has lost at least three-quarters. If it is not for too many goods in stock, she also wants to be thorough Close the shop.
She said that there are currently few gift shops left in Chinatown, and she still hopes to survive the epidemic so that gift shops can continue to be a characteristic culture of Chinatown.
Lili, the owner of Shun Fat Gift Shop, said that the main consumer groups of the gift shop are tourists from out of state and foreign countries. Some tourists from other states who drive to New York also come to Chinatown to dine. Passing by the gift shop is also "just not to buy."
On New Year's Day, the store only sold more than ten yuan, and Lili said that even the cost of electricity bills was difficult to recover.
The signs and ornaments of the New Year in previous years have also not been seen this year. Lili said that last year's inventory could not be sold, and this year she will not purchase Chinese Lunar New Year and other festive accessories from distributors.
She predicts that gift shop business will continue to slump this year, and will not gradually recover until at least 2022.
(Yang Chengyu)