RICH THOMASELLI | TravelPulse.Com

Troy Warren for CNT #Travel

Now that tourism officials across the U.S. have a date to circle, consider it a launching pad.

Fully vaccinated international tourists can begin visiting on Nov. 8, and cities across the country are bracing to capitalize on the expected boom.

The Biden Administration announced on Friday an official date for accepting foreign travelers into the country, setting off celebrations in tourism offices.

Here’s a look at three major tourist hubs in the U.S. that will see a boost in tourists.

Las Vegas

As if Vegas needed another reason to celebrate, right?

Well, yeah, kind of.

This city was a ghost town for a good portion of 2020 due to the pandemic, as were most high-profile tourist destinations, but Las Vegas has come back strong.

This should push it over the top and restore visitors to 2019 levels.

Billy Vassiliadis, principal for Las Vegas-based advertising agency R&R Partners – the man who came up with the ridiculously popular ‘What Happens In Vegas Stays in Vegas’ ad campaign 16 years and now the advertising consultant for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority – said he expects foreign visitors to flock to Southern Nevada the same way domestic travelers did when restrictions were lifted by local government authorities.

“I think we’re going to see, as long as we get the (airline) carriers back, we’re going to see the same sort of rush to return that we saw domestically when we reopened and when the restrictions were lifted,” Vassiliadis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I think demand is clearly there. I know our Mexican flights have been doing well all along and I know our Canadian partners have been shopping it big to get it back.”

He said he expects to discuss the potential for international tourism marketing campaigns with LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill and Chief Marketing Officer Kate Wik.

“Now that we have a sense of it, I’m confident that Steve and Kate will want to begin to put together a campaign,” Vassiliadis said.

The Review-Journal noted that it’s well documented that international travelers stay longer and spend more than most domestic travelers, but the volume of flights and passengers directly from foreign countries shows the potential impact of the new travel policies.

According to McCarran statistics, 3.8 million passengers arrived at Las Vegas’ airport directly from foreign countries in 2019 with 27 different air carriers offering scheduled service sometime during the year.

Orlando

Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando … get ready for a rush of crowds again at the most famous theme parks in the world.

“We view pent-up travel demand as a global phenomenon. We are eagerly anticipating the return of transatlantic air service in the coming weeks,” Phil Brown, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, said according to clickonorlando.com.

OAA Phil Brown said in a statement.

Orlando International Airport has already received notice from several international carriers that they intend to resume flights to the airport in November, according to a news release.

According to Visit Orlando, international tourists contribute billions to Central Florida’s economy.

“We’re excited to have travel back, especially for the holiday season,” said Denise Spiegel, of Visit Orlando, Central Florida’s tourist arm. “Pre-pandemic international visitors spent more than $6 billion in Central Florida, so we are excited for that recovery.”

Visit Orlando said it will have ad campaigns running this fall in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Mexico promoting travel to Central Florida, according to clickonorlando.com.

“We have already started marketing in our international market to get Orlando top of mind,” Spiegel said. “We have a campaign running so we’re really excited.”

New York

The good news is that Broadway reopened with a handful of shows last month.

The great news is that it expects to fully reopen as we head into November.

And its impact on New York City is incredible.

According to a study by New York’s Baruch College, 65 percent of people who take in a Broadway musical or play are from out of town; close to 50 percent are international visitors who average at least two shows attended during their visit.

But there’s more. There are also Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. Concerts have slowly begun to return, including, on November 5, the resumption of Billy Joel’s wildly popular monthly residency at Madison Square Garden.

And the greater New York City area has seven major professional sports teams whose seasons just got underway or about to. Football’s Giants and Jets play across the Hudson River in New Jersey, basketball’s Knicks and Nets play in Manhattan and Brooklyn, respectively; and hockey’s Rangers are in Manhattan, the Islanders are on Long Island and the Devils are in Jersey.