Harlem, Pummeled by the Pandemic, Experiences a Tourism Revival

Visitors are returning to Harlem, providing a much-needed boost to the famous neighborhood as it helps drive New York City’s tourism recovery from the pandemic. 

Visits to Harlem over the past year are up more than 15% compared with the 12 months leading into the pandemic, according to cellphone data analyzed by retail and commercial real-estate data-analytics firm RetailStat. People traveling to the neighborhood from more than 5 miles away are helping drive the increase in foot traffic, said Gregg Katz, head of product innovation and marketing at RetailStat.

“It’s great when you hear all the different languages on the streets of Harlem because it’s such a major driver of coffee shops, retail—all the small businesses,” said Marcus Samuelsson, an award-winning chef and owner of the well-known Harlem restaurant Red Rooster.

Covid-19 hit the neighborhood hard. City data shows residents there suffered higher infection and death rates than Manhattan overall. Now, New York City’s tourism is recovering as the pandemic ebbs. More than 56 million people visited the city last year and total visitation is projected to surpass 2019 levels by the end of 2024, according to New York City Tourism and Conventions, the city’s official tourism organization.

Harlem is attracting visitors to its brownstone homes, music scene and historic churches. In another positive sign, Marriott is poised to open a  211-room Renaissance-flagged hotel, which is believed to be the first full-service hotel built in Harlem in over a century, said developer Jeff Lam, chief executive of Lam Generation.

The neighborhood’s prominence in movies, television and music, as well as its legacy as a hub for Black history and culture, draws international tourists, business owners there said, making Harlem a must-see for visitors as they return to New York City postpandemic. 

At the same time, a recent flurry of art-gallery openings is attracting locals, and restaurants and bars are benefiting from residents staying closer to home because of remote work, said Lloyd Williams, chief executive of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce. Increased tourism is helpful as the neighborhood, which like other areas of the city still has some vacant storefronts and struggling businesses, continues its economic recovery from the pandemic.

Jermeil Tarter, in town from Kingsport, Tenn., snapped pictures outside the Apollo Theater on 125th Street one recent afternoon. Tarter said he grew up watching “Showtime at the Apollo,” a popular television variety show, and opted to visit the theater over the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island during his trip to New York.

“I’m definitely familiar with the culture and wanted to be a part of it,” he said. 

Carolyn Johnson,

Restaurants and bars in Harlem are also on the upswing, with spending at these establishments 7% higher between April 2022 and March 2023 than during the 12-month period leading up to the pandemic, according to an analysis by the Mastercard Economics Institute.

Prices for new apartments in Harlem have increased over the past decade, according to brokerage Brown Harris Stevens Development Marketing, with the average contract signing for more than $1.3 million this year, a 79% increase from 2013.

Still, quality-of-life issues exacerbated by the pandemic, including drug use, mental illness and crime, remain serious concerns, said Syderia Asberry-Chresfield,

“January of this year, we were afraid to go outside after dark,” she said. “Now, we feel a lot safer. But we still are not back to where we were before.” 

A few doors down from the Apollo, workers are putting the finishing touches on the Renaissance New York Harlem Hotel.

The hotel is expected to charge about $250 a night, said Jennifer Connell, global brand leader for Renaissance Hotels. The property was built in the footprint of the historic Victoria Theater, which opened as a vaudeville house in 1917 and later became a movie theater, but then sat vacant for decades. 

The hotel preserves elements of the Victoria, including the exterior facade, marquee and outdoor ticket booth as well as the lobby’s staircase, Lam said. The decor evokes giants from Harlem’s storied music history, including Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway. 

The hotel, which was built as part of a larger public-private partnership development, is in a building that also includes retail as well as two theaters and office space that will be operated by the Apollo. About half of the hotel’s 70 employees are expected to be Harlem residents, said general manager Lewiston Murray.

Katrina Parris, a longtime Harlem resident and owner of the Lenox Avenue gift shop NiLu, said the neighborhood has long needed more lodging options to keep visitors in the neighborhood longer and generate foot traffic for small businesses.

“You’ve got the happenings, but you don’t have a place for people to sleep,” she said. “To have people come here, spend a short amount of time and then go back to their hotels in Midtown, go back to the restaurants downtown, it’s less than ideal.”

Write to Kate King at [email protected]