Tourism, Organisations & Operators,

Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco on Wednesday (July 20) affirmed the Department’s full support to the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) during her attendance at the 3rd quarter regular Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting held at the National Museum in Manila.
Others present at the meeting were Evangelina Lourdes Arroyo- Bernas, NMP Chairperson; Jeremy Barns, Director General of NMP; Jorell M.  Legazpi, Deputy Director for Museums; and Board of Trustees from the private sector Andoni M. Aboitiz, Dr. Jurgenne Primavera, and Dr. Rene R. Escalante. Senator Nancy Binay and other trustees also joined the meeting virtually.
The Tourism Secretary is joined, as members of the NMP BoT, by the Education Secretary, the Tourism Committee Chair of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Chairperson of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Director-General of the National Museum, and eight (8) representatives of the private sector in the National Museum Board. It may be noted that that the NMP’s mandate is to establish, manage and develop museums not only in Manila but also in key locations around the country.
During the meeting, Frasco expressed her gratitude to the members of the board, and offered the Department of Tourism’s assistance in the marketing and promotions of museums across the country, as well as the establishment of tourism circuits for museums so public knowledge and access to these museums could be in the mainstream.
“I wish to thank all of you for what you have done to push forward the preservation of our heritage. My personal presence here, today, I hope, signals my intention to give the full support of the Department of Tourism to the National Museum of the Philippines and to all of your projects nationwide. I wanted the support to be tacitly manifested by my physical presence and you can be rest assured that I will be your ally in the Department of Tourism,” remarked Frasco.ADVERTISEMENTAn advocate of culture and the arts herself, the former Mayor of Liloan added “All of your efforts deserve to be highlighted and the general public needs to really know about all the activities, because giving the general public access to all of these worthwhile endeavors would also benefit both the museum and the public in general, in that, we are able to provide a mainstream access to all that the museums have to offer.
Frasco has earlier directed the officials of the Department to reach out to local government units all over the country to equalize marketing and promotions. This, she added, can also be executed for the properties managed by the NMP. “I hope to have a similar effort done for the National Museum because I will be very interested to explore how we can assist in increasing engagement for its endeavors,” said the tourism chief.

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The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the European Travel Commission (ETC) warn the Travel & Tourism sector’s recovery could be put at serious risk if almost 1.2 million jobs remain unfilled across the EU.
The challenging summer labour shortfall has been revealed by WTTC in its latest analysis of the sector and calls for urgent action to address this critical issue.
In 2020, when the pandemic was at its peak, the Travel & Tourism sector across the EU suffered the loss of almost 1.7 million jobs.
In 2021, when governments began to ease travel restrictions and travellers’ confidence improved, the sector’s direct contribution to the EU’s economy recovered by 30.4% and recovered 571,000 jobs.
This year, WTTC projects that the sector’s recovery will continue to accelerate and almost reach pre-pandemic levels with an expected 32.9% increase in its direct contribution to the EU economy. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: “Europe showed one of the strongest recoveries in 2021, ahead of the global average. However, current shortages of labour can delay this trend and put additional pressure on an already embattled sector.ADVERTISEMENT“Governments and the private sector need to come together to provide the best opportunities for people looking for the great career opportunities that the travel sector offers.”
A serious number of vacancies are likely to remain unfilled during the busy summer period, with travel agencies forecasted to be the worst hit with a 30% shortfall of workers (nearly one in three vacancies unfilled).
Meanwhile, air transport and accommodation segments are likely to suffer one in five unfilled vacancies, representing 21% and 22% staff shortage respectively.WTTC has been at the forefront of leading the private sector in the drive to rebuild international travel since the pandemic brought international travel to its knees. ETC has been working with key stakeholders to better coordinate the response measures at the EU level and facilitate travel.WTTC and ETC have identified six measures that governments and the private sector can implement to address this urgent issue:
•  Facilitate labour mobility within countries and across borders and strengthen collaboration at all levels, providing visas and work permits •  Enable flexible and remote working where feasible – particularly if travel restrictions still prevent workers from moving freely across borders•  Ensure decent work, provide social safety nets and highlight career growth opportunities – with work that is safe, fair, productive, and meaningful – to reinforce the attractiveness of the sector as a career choice and retain new talent •  Upskill and reskill talent and offer comprehensive training as well as create – to equip the workforce with new and improved skills •  Create and promote education and apprenticeships – with effective policies, and public-private collaboration, that support educational programs and apprentice-based training•  Adopt innovative technological and digital solutions to improve daily operations, as well as mobility and border security to ensure safe and seamless travel and an enhanced customer experience.
Luis Araujo, ETC President said: “Europe, as the leading and most competitive tourism destination in the world, is committed to becoming the most sustainable one. But the goal of the twin transition (green and digital) will only be achieved if we succeed in attracting and retaining talent for this sector. This is one of the biggest challenges for the sector and needs coordinated, multi-layered and joint (public and private) solutions.”
The two bodies believe that by implementing these measures, Travel & Tourism businesses will be able to attract and retain more workers.
This in turn would enable the sector to meet the ever-growing consumer demand and further speed up its recovery, which is the backbone to generating economic wellbeing across the bloc.

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Virgin Galactic, an aerospace and space travel company, today announced it has signed a long-term lease for a new final assembly manufacturing facility for its next-generation Delta class spaceships. Located in Mesa, Greater Phoenix area, adjacent to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, the facility will be capable of producing up to six spaceships per year and will bring hundreds of highly skilled aerospace engineering and manufacturing jobs to the area.
The Delta class spaceship is Virgin Galactic’s production vehicle that is designed to fly weekly, supporting the Company’s target of 400 flights per year from Spaceport America. Based on current schedules, the first of these ships is expected to commence revenue-generating payload flights in late 2025, progressing to private astronaut flights in 2026.
The Company is currently selecting various suppliers to build the spaceship’s major subassemblies, which will be delivered to the new Mesa facility for final assembly. Virgin Galactic motherships will ferry completed spaceships to Spaceport America, New Mexico for flight test and commercial operation.
“Our spaceship final assembly factory is key to accelerating the production of our Delta fleet, enabling a rapid increase in flight capacity that will drive our revenue growth.” said Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier. “We’re thrilled to expand into the greater Phoenix area which is home to outstanding aerospace talent – and we look forward to growing our team and fleet at our new facility.”
The facility is already under construction and is expected to be fully operational by late 2023. Final assembly manufacturing processes at the facility will be underpinned by a digital twin architecture which enables seamless integration between the Company and suppliers allowing for real-time collaboration, strong governance, and an increase in production efficiency and reliability.ADVERTISEMENTSwami Iyer, Virgin Galactic’s President of Aerospace Systems said, “Arizona is a growing innovation hub, geographically situated between our existing operations in Southern California and New Mexico. This will allow us to accelerate progress from conceptual design to production to final assembly at scale as we capitalise on the many advantages Mesa and the greater Phoenix area offer.”

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The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has announced its forecast for international visitor arrivals (IVA), following the city’s reopening of the borders under the Vaccinated Travel Framework launched on 1 April 2022. With global travel picking up pace, Singapore expects to receive between 4 and 6 million visitors in 2022.
In the first half of 2022, Singapore clocked 1.5 million visitor arrivals, nearly 12 times more compared to the same period in 2021 (119,000). Tourism receipts (TR) reached an estimated S$1.3 billion in the first quarter of the year. While IVA and TR remain a fraction of Singapore’s pre-pandemic numbers, STB remains of the view that tourism flows will recover to pre-COVID levels by the mid-2020s.
Mr Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board said, “The encouraging growth in visitor arrivals and tourism receipts signals strong pent-up demand, and underscore Singapore’s continued appeal as a vibrant and attractive destination for leisure and business travellers. While the pandemic is certainly not over yet, we are confident that Singapore’s very rich calendar of events, as well as new and refreshed tourism offerings, will continue to attract visitors for the rest of 2022 and beyond.”
International Visitor Arrivals (IVA)
Indonesia (282,000), India (219,000), Malaysia (139,000), Australia (125,000) and Philippines (81,000) were Singapore’s top five international visitor-generating markets, accounting for 56 per cent of total IVA from January to June 2022.ADVERTISEMENTIndonesia (+268,000, +1996%), India (+204,000, +1344%) and Malaysia (+132,000, +2000%), registered the largest absolute year-on-year growth.
Notably, the average length of stay for visitors more than doubled in the first half of 2022 – approximately 7.1 days compared to 3.4 days in 2019.
Tourism Receipts (TR)
TR in the first quarter of 2022 reached $1.3 billion, a 213% year-on-year increase over the same period last year.
TR By Markets
Excluding expenditure on Sightseeing Entertainment & Gaming (SEG), Indonesia, India and China were the top three TR-generating markets in Q1 2022, contributing 32 per cent of TR (excluding SEG). Among the top 10 TR markets, Indonesia (+$95 million, +187%), and India (+$97 million, +376%) registered the highest year-on-year absolute growth in TR (excluding SEG).
TR By Major Components
Growth was recorded across all major components, with Shopping (373%) and Accommodation (344%) recording the highest year-on-year growth.
Looking Ahead
Tourism flows will face some headwinds for the rest of the year because of the volatile global political and economic environment, as well as the evolving health situation.
STB will continue to monitor the situation closely and calibrate its forecast and plans accordingly. We remain cautiously optimistic and anticipate a strong performance from key source markets this year, given a strong pipeline of events such as the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2022 and the Bloomberg New Economy Forum. New and rejuvenated offerings like Hell’s Museum at Haw Par Villa, the Museum of Ice Cream, SkyHelix Sentosa, and the “Avatar: The Experience” at Gardens by the Bay later this year, are also set to attract more visitors.
STB will continue to develop the tourism sector with new offerings and refreshed concepts to strengthen Singapore’s appeal as an attractive destination. This includes growing our capabilities in the emerging areas of wellness and sustainability.
For example, STB held the inaugural Wellness Festival Singapore in June, with a 10-day line-up of over 100 activities and experiences to promote holistic well-being. In October, Singapore will be the first Southeast Asian country to host the Tour de France Singapore Criterium, a premier sporting event that aligns with Singapore’s sustainability goals, as well as our ambition to be an urban wellness haven. Sail Grand Prix (SailGP), the first climate positive sports and entertainment property, will also make its Asian debut in Singapore in 2023.
Singapore Tourism Board is nominated as Asia’s Leading City Break Destination 2022, Asia’s Leading Destination 2022, Asia’s Leading Festival & Event Destination 2022, Asia’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination 2022 and Asia’s Leading Sports Tourism Destination 2022 by World Travel Awards.

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Building on the three-year Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2020, Trip.com Group and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) are deepening their collaboration across key markets including Thailand, South Korea and Hong Kong, while expanding their partnership to include new markets Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia.
Trip.com Group Chief Marketing Officer Sun Bo met STB’s Assistant Chief Executive for International Group Juliana Kua in Singapore last month, during which both discussed various topics, including enhancing the areas of collaboration under the three-year MOU signed in late 2020.
The reopening of borders in the region in recent months has led to a strong growth in Singapore’s international arrivals – with 418,310 visitors in May, up from 295,100 in April. With pent-up demand being one of the main drivers of the travel recovery, Trip.com Group will deepen its collaboration with STB to promote Singapore to travellers from key markets through a series of initiatives, including marketing campaigns, public relations activities, KOLs’ reviews and promotions through Trip.com Group’s brands including Trip.com and Ctrip.
Mr Sun Bo said: “The past two years have been challenging for the tourism industry across Asia, but we are deeply encouraged and appreciative of Singapore’s support for local tourism businesses. These include the launch of the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers campaign which Trip.com was part of, as well as the timely announcements relating to the reopening of borders such as the previous Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme and the current Vaccinated Travel Framework.
“Trip.com Group is excited to deepen our strong relationship and collaboration with STB to further facilitate and promote travel to Singapore. This is a beautiful country which offers different unique experiences for various groups of tourists, and Trip.com Group will launch specific campaigns and initiatives in the coming months across the key markets where there exist a strong demand for travel. Based on the recent growths in visitors’ arrivals to Singapore, there is reason to be optimistic that inbound arrivals will rebound to pre-pandemic levels, and Trip.com Group is committed to supporting STB in every way possible.”ADVERTISEMENTMs Juliana Kua, Assistant Chief Executive (International Group) STB, said: “We have worked closely with Trip.com Group especially over the last two years during the pandemic to maintain Singapore’s mindshare amongst regional travellers. With the resumption of travel, we are delighted to deepen our partnership with Trip.com Group, which has a growing network of services, users and data. We will tap on these to showcase Singapore’s refreshed destination offerings, and encourage travellers to reimagine travel to Singapore as part of our SingapoReimagine global marketing campaign.”
Strengthening Connections within Asia
Leveraging Trip.com Group’s fast-growing global network as a leading international online travel services provider, and its ability to draw insights on traveller behaviour and needs from its large user base, both parties will work together on a series of marketing campaigns in several Southeast Asian markets, as well as South Korea and Hong Kong in the coming months.
Among various initiatives, Trip.com Group and STB will also curate and deliver engaging content via Trip.com’s app and website to showcase the Singapore destination story and to position the city-state as a safe and compelling destination of choice for travelers.
Going forward, Trip.com Group and STB will also continue to identify and launch targeted programmes to promote and position Singapore as an ideal destination for various activities, including as a sanctuary for sustainability, haven for urban wellness, paradise of evolving flavours and world of possibilities for travellers to experience Singapore in new and unexpected ways.
Consumers in the various markets can also look forward to attractive travel promotions. These will be rolled out in phases after taking into consideration the respective market’s readiness to travel and prevailing travel policies.
For a start, joint campaigns to promote Singapore as an attractive travel destination will be launched in South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines over the next one week, including attractive deals and collaborations with travel KOLs such as travel_bellauri and im0gil from South Korea and CHAILAIBACKPACKER from Thailand who will share their insights and recommendations on exciting and unexpected itineraries that visitors can experience in Singapore.
Mr Sun Bo said: “Singapore has always been known as a food and shopping paradise, and that’s not a surprise given the wide range of retail offerings and tasty dishes such as Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa and Chili Crab, among others. Yet, Singapore also offers new and unique experiences such as wellness and nature activities. In addition, many tourism businesses in Singapore had refreshed their offerings and introduced new ones during the past two years. Trip.com Group looks forward to working closely with STB and our local partners to present the beauty of Singapore and its uniquely local experiences to the global community in the coming months.”
Trip.com is nominated as Asia’s Leading Online Travel Agency 2021, while Singapore Tourism Board is nominated as Asia’s Leading City Break Destination 2022, Asia’s Leading Destination 2022, Asia’s Leading Festival & Event Destination 2022, Asia’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination 2022 and Asia’s Leading Sports Tourism Destination 2022 by World Travel Awards.

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Department of Tourism 5 (Bicol) Director Herbie Aguas (Photo courtesy of Rommel Añonuevo Natanauan)
The Department of Tourism (DOT) Philippines is encouraging local government units (LGUs) in Bicol with top destination sites to create their Tourist-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOPCOP) to hasten the tourism industry’s recovery from the pandemic.
In an interview on Thursday, Herbie Aguas, DOT 5 (Bicol) director, said the creation of tourist cops is needed to assure foreign and domestic visitors that it is safe and more fun to visit the different attractions in the region.
“The TOPCOP will provide added security operations for local tourists and establishments and respond to tourist-related security and safety issues. The travel and experience of tourists in certain areas will be safer with the TOPCOP strictly enforcing health protocols and guidelines,” Aguas said.
He also said with the opening of tourist destinations in the region, there is a need to assure the visitors that they are safe amid the health crisis.
“If the tourists feel safe, they will keep on coming back. Uulit at babalik and babalik pa sila (they will keep on returning),” Aguas said, noting the rise in the region’s tourist arrivals since the country began to open up the tourism industry in February.ADVERTISEMENTHe said the DOT would train police personnel on the basic principles of tourist safety and the Filipino brand of service.
The modules also include lessons on tourism awareness, values, and character.
“(The) DOT will train them how to interact with tourists, they must also be familiar with the culture, tradition, and character of the place,” he added.
In Naga City, Arts, Culture, and Tourism Officer Alec Francis Santos recently surveyed the top concern of tourists when choosing a destination and they found out it is safety and security.
As a direct response to that concern, they launched early this week a tourist police unit with 21 personnel.
“By having a dedicated police unit for Naga’s tourism industry, the city can expect a safer environment for both foreign and local visitors. This is crucial since tourism is one of Naga’s economic pillars and is responsible for generating much-needed jobs and livelihood,” Santos said in a separate interview.
He said the creation of TOPCOP by the LGU’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Office is in collaboration with the Office of the City Director.
“The LGU Naga, in partnership with the Philippine National Police, is planning to conduct more training for PNP personnel who wish to join the TOPCOP,” Santos added.
Aguas said the city government of Naga is on the right track when it decided to have the TOPCOP, such as in Calaguas Island in the municipality of Vinzons, Camarines Norte and in Donsol, Sorsogon, which takes pride in its “butanding” or whale shark interaction and festival.
“The idea of conducting training for (the) tourist police will provide us a prepared venue where we can arrange an ideal benchmarking with regards to the adoption of the TOPCOP program by other LGUs,” he said.

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The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched a new ground-breaking report that outlines recommendations and best practices for jurisdictions to manage short-term rentals – a fast growing and important segment of the Travel & Tourism sector.
The report, ’Best practices for short-term rentals’, developed by WTTC with the support of Airbnb, leading global platform for short-term rentals, draws from the experiences of cities around the world to offer easy-to-implement best practices for this type of accommodation, which has become a popular choice amongst travellers.
According to the global tourism body, the Travel & Tourism sector’s ability to welcome travellers has increased due in part to the rising popularity of short-term rentals.
The paper suggests short-term rentals have increased the number of accommodations available and helps the spread of visitors in a destination, expanding local community participation in tourism and offers a different and sometimes unique option to travellers.
To help address the increased popularity of these accommodations, the report offers case studies from destinations such as Cape Town, Sydney, and Seattle, amongst others. It includes simple policy recommendations such as data sharing, registration, smart taxation, and long-term community investment approaches to benefit all Travel & Tourism stakeholders and can inform regulation.ADVERTISEMENTJulia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “As we begin to recover from the ravages of the pandemic, we must focus on building back better in each of our industries.
“The best practices offered in this report will provide governments with key policy recommendations that will both promote tourism in their destinations while supporting those local communities.
“We know travellers are ready to explore the world once again and their return will also help power the world’s much-needed economic recovery.”
Guests are often drawn to short-term rentals for their flexibility and amenities they offer, such as kitchens, office spaces and gardens, and the ability to stay in locations outside of traditional tourist zones.
According to a survey of guests who stayed in Airbnb listings in 2021, 20% indicated that if their choice of property were not an option, they would have changed their length of stay to ensure they were able to book their preferred property.
Theo Yedinsky, Airbnb Global Policy Director, said: “Short-term rentals allows everyday people to take part in the tourism economy, and the income earned through hosting is helping many people navigate the impacts of inflation.
“In fact, approximately 35% of Airbnb hosts globally say they host to help cover the rising cost of living. Additionally, short-term rentals help spread visitor spending through communities.
“As travel returns, governments and tourism officials can partner with short-term rental platforms like Airbnb to develop fair, reasonable rules that strengthen destinations, and preserve these economic benefits for communities and local residents.”
Carlos Mercado, Executive Director Puerto Rico Tourism Company, which commissioned the report said, “Throughout the pandemic, short term rentals provided a much-needed boost not only to our Travel & Tourism sector, but to our economy.
“The revenue short term rentals generate is used to fund our marketing efforts which is critical to driving international visitors back to Puerto Rico.”
According to the report, governments can consider adopting data sharing, registration, smart taxation, and long-term community investment plans to help ensure short-term rentals continue to benefit and support the destination’s community.
The report analysed a number of popular destinations which have benefitted from implementing balanced rules to address short-term rentals.
Furthermore, partnering with short term rentals platforms on digital registration and data-sharing agreements, supports compliance by short-term rental operators, while providing governments with insights to make decisions on how to manage the industry.
Sydney, Australia has taken steps to regulate short-term rentals, including a digital registration system to achieve consistency across all stakeholders.
Data sharing allows governments to keep track and manage short-term rental activities and helps inform data-driven policy decisions. To support this, Airbnb built its City Portal as a one-stop shop for relevant data governments might require.
Cape Town, South Africa benefitted from this data to form decisions on tourism and housing policy during an affordable housing crisis in 2017.
Governments can also benefit from the economic activity and tax short-term rentals generate for their destinations. In Puerto Rico, the increase in tax revenue has facilitated the funding of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company’s activities.
Lastly, residents can benefit from the extra income earned through hosting. French authorities collaborated with Airbnb to ensure the regulatory framework for short-term rentals was simple and proportionate for casual hosts.

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NYC & Company invites visitors to Staten Island More

NYC & Company, New York City’s official destination marketing organisation and convention and visitors bureau for the five boroughs of New York City, invites locals and visitors alike to Staten Island Like a New Yorker as part of the organization’s Get Local NYC initiative. 
Go by ferry or car and plan a day of shopping, dining and sightseeing, from museums and historic sites to parks, beaches and gardens. Kids will love the Staten Island Zoo and Children’s Museum. History buffs will want to see the Conference House, where Ben Franklin and John Adams tried to broker peace with the British in 1776. Baseball fans will want to catch a game with the FerryHawks while enjoying stupendous views of the Manhattan skyline across New York Harbor. Cool off with a treat from Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices, pick up Italian pastries at Royal Crown Bakery, head to Lee’s Tavern for pizza and a beer, or try Sri Lankan food at New Asha. 
Other unique points of interest on Staten Island include the Chinese Scholar’s Garden at Snug Harbor; the National Lighthouse Museum; the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art; and the home of pioneering photographer Alice Austen, a New York City LGBTQ+ historic site. Visitors can also see the farm where Frederick Law Olmsted experimented with landscaping before designing Central Park; the 19th-century African American community called Sandy Ground; and Historic Richmond Town, a village dating to the late 17th century. Admirers of the Catholic activist Dorothy Day, who devoted her life to serving the poor, can pay respects at her gravesite and explore the remnants of the bungalow beach community where she lived. 
“Staten Island is home to an incredible variety of historical sites, attractions for families, cultural enclaves, and beautiful areas to enjoy nature, whether biking, birdwatching, or relaxing on a quiet beach,” said NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon. “In Staten Island, you can walk in the footsteps of Founding Father Ben Franklin and Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted, or try authentic Sri Lankan food for lunch and Italian prepared family style for dinner. From the Snug Harbor Cultural Center to the new Empire Outlets mall right by the ferry, Staten Island has something for all visitors.” 
GETTING THERE AND GETTING AROUND ADVERTISEMENTTwo ferry services connect Manhattan and Staten Island. There’s a free ferry from the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Lower Manhattan (take the R train to Whitehall, the 4 or 5 to Bowling Green, or the 1 to South Ferry), or take a NYC Ferry ($2.75) from either of two Manhattan departure points: Midtown West/Pier 79 (near West 39th Street) and Battery Park City (follow Vesey Street west to the river in Lower Manhattan). Both ferries dock at the St. George terminal on the Staten Island side. From there, it’s a short walk to the Empire Outlets mall, the St. George Theatre and the FerryHawks baseball stadium. 
From the ferry terminal, visitors can catch buses to any number of attractions, pick up taxis or rideshares, or even hop on the Staten Island Railway, an aboveground train that runs from St. George on the island’s North Shore all the way to Tottenville on the South Shore. The same MetroCard used on subways and buses in NYC’s other boroughs works for buses and the railway on Staten Island. Contactless credit/debit cards and digital payments (like Apple Pay) are also accepted. 
By car, visitors can reach Staten Island via one of four bridges: the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge connecting the island to Brooklyn, or the Bayonne Bridge, Goethals Bridge or Outerbridge Crossing, which links the island to New Jersey. 
Express buses run to Staten Island from Manhattan and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. 
HOTELS
Hotel options on Staten Island include the Fairfield Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites and the Hilton Garden Inn. 
The Hilton, located on a 415-acre protected woodland, offers a 10-story tower with panoramic views; two ballrooms for special events; Lorenzo’s Restaurant & Cabaret, which has a Sunday jazz brunch, live music on Friday and Saturday nights and upscale Italian fare; and the indoor/outdoor venue Above, a rooftop nightclub and ballroom. 
GREEN SPACE AND BEACHES
Staten Island is blessed with 10,000 acres of parks and green spaces, plus miles of beaches, boardwalks and waterfront views. 
Nearly a third of the island’s green space consists of forests, wetlands, lakes, ponds and hiking trails linked together in the Staten Island Greenbelt. Greenbelt locations include La Tourette Park Golf Course, the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge and bird sanctuary, Reed’s Basket Willow Swamp Park, Willowbrook Park and Greenbelt headquarters at the High Rock Environmental Center. 
Staten Island is also home to several National Park Service sites within the Gateway National Recreation Area. They are Great Kills Park, which has a lifeguarded beach, hiking and biking trails, fishing areas, a marina and boat launch; Miller Field, a former military airfield with baseball, cricket, softball and soccer fields; and Fort Wadsworth, one of the oldest military installations in the nation, offering breathtaking views of New York Harbor. 
The bike-friendly 2.5-mile Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk runs from Fort Wadsworth to Miller Field. The boardwalk provides access to two of the island’s most popular Atlantic Ocean beaches, South Beach (look for the fountain with six bronze dolphins) and Midland Beach. Amenities include a skate park, fishing pier and playgrounds. 
NEIGHBORHOODS 
Staten Island has more than 60 neighborhoods scattered across 60 square miles. It is more suburban than most of NYC, with the fewest residents of any of the five boroughs (population 500,000). It also has the highest percentage of people who own their own homes (66%) and the fewest tall buildings (20 stories is as high as it gets on Staten Island). 
Here are details on some of the Island’s attractions, restaurants and places to shop, organised by location. 
ST. GEORGE
Take the ferry to St. George and enjoy views of the Manhattan skyline from the North Shore Waterfront Esplanade. Look for Postcards, a stirring memorial to the 275 Staten Islanders who perished on September 11, 2001. The National Lighthouse Museum is walking distance from the ferry, as is the ballpark where the minor-league FerryHawks baseball team plays. Go for the views as much as for the game, hot dogs and beer. Or choose from more than 70 types of beer at the Flagship Brewing Co., less than a mile away.
Next to the ferry terminal is the City’s only outlet shopping mall, Empire Outlets. Stores include Nordstrom Rack, Patterns & Dots, Cotton On, Lids, Nike, Banana Republic, Gap, H&M, Old Navy, Parfum Europa, Samsonite, iOptics and Guess. The mall’s inviting outdoor spaces, fun food trucks and waterfront vistas make it a great place to spend the afternoon. Don’t miss Clinton Hall, an airy outdoor bar on an upper level with swings and games like Jenga and cornhole. On-site stores can validate parking passes for the mall’s indoor parking lot.
The nearby St. George Theatre opened in 1929 as a grand movie-and-vaudeville house. It has been used as a location for movies like The School of Rock and TV shows like Gossip Girl. The theater has hosted everyone from Al Jolson to Jerry Seinfeld. Shows scheduled for 2022 included Melissa Etheridge and Paul Anka. 
Dining options in the area include Pier 76 (go for the thin-crust pizza) and Enoteca Maria, which features real grandmothers’ cooking from their native cuisine on a rotating schedule. For those into classic comic books, Hypno-Tronic Comics is a must. 
WEST NEW BRIGHTON, WEST BRIGHTON AND RANDALL MANOR
The Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is about two miles north of the ferry terminal along the island’s North Shore in the West New Brighton neighborhood (20 minutes via the S40, S44 or S46 bus lines). Snug Harbor was founded in the 19th century as a retirement home for sailors; five of its original Greek Revival buildings are city landmarks. The complex includes a concert hall, the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, the Staten Island Museum, the Noble Maritime Collection and 14 themed gardens. Among the most popular attractions are the Chinese Scholar’s Garden and the Staten Island Children’s Museum.
The Staten Island Zoo, about two miles from Snug Harbor, is home to Staten Island Chuck, a groundhog called upon every Groundhog Day to forecast whether spring will come early. The zoo’s collection also includes sheep, goats, leopards, lemurs, meerkats and sloths, but it’s best-known for its snakes, including one of the country’s most complete collections of rattlesnakes.
Also nearby are Clove Lakes Park, Silver Lake Park, the Silver Lake Golf Course and the Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere, which hosts exhibitions, cooking classes, sunset yoga, festivals, live performances and more. Egger’s Ice Cream Parlor is a mile from the zoo on Forest Avenue, where it’s been serving up sweet treats since 1964. The legendary Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices has several locations, including the original on Port Richmond Avenue; be prepared to wait on a line stretching down the block. 
ROSEBANK AND LITTLE SRI LANKA
The Alice Austen House Museum is in the Rosebank neighborhood, about two and a half miles south of the ferry terminal (reachable via the S51, S78 and S76 bus lines or the Staten Island Railway). The museum documents the life and work of Alice Austen, a pioneering photographer and important figure in NYC’s LGBTQ+ history. She lived for 30 years with another woman, Gertrude Tate, and many of her photos portray intimacy between Victorian women. Her documentary-style images also captured immigrant life, nature and architecture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Austen site is a charming Victorian Gothic cottage in a shorefront park near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge with sweeping views of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. The museum hosts exhibitions of contemporary photography as well.
Rosebank is also home to the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, located in the 1840 house where telephone inventor Antonio Meucci gave refuge to the revolutionary Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi and his wife. Garibaldi returned to Italy in 1850 to head the military campaign that led to the unification of Italy. 
Staten Island’s “Little Sri Lanka” community is clustered in two neighborhoods between the ferry terminal and the Austen House, Tompkinsville and Stapleton. Two dining spots, Lakruwana and New Asha, are routinely included on lists of New York foodie favorites. Lakruwana, a sit-down restaurant decorated with Buddhist-themed artwork, offers a popular weekend buffet. New Asha is a friendly hole in the wall; whatever the proprietor is dishing from hot trays is guaranteed to be delicious. Also in Tompkinsville is the Sri Lankan Art & Cultural Museum.
FORT WADSWORTH AND THE SOUTH SHORE BEACHES
Continuing south along the waterfront, headquarters for Staten Island’s Gateway National Recreation Area are about a mile from the Austen House (reachable via the S51 bus). The Gateway complex includes historic Fort Wadsworth. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk is adjacent to the park and runs for two miles along the shore, to South Beach and Midland Beach. The boardwalk ends at Miller Field. 
ELTINGVILLE, ANNADALE, ROSSVILLE
Head southwest along the waterfront for Great Kills Park, Great Kills Beach, and Wolfe’s Pond Park. This section of Staten Island is also where two of the island’s most famous residents once lived: Frederick Law Olmsted and Dorothy Day. 
Olmsted acquired 130 acres of woods and farmland in 1848 in the Eltingville neighborhood, including a stone house that was built in 1685 on a bluff overlooking Raritan Bay. Olmsted called the property Tosomock Farm, and he lived there for seven years. He ran a farm and a nursery, and honed the landscaping skills he would later use to design Central Park. Visitors can still see some of the trees Olmsted planted nearly 175 years ago. Walk down to the water a short distance from the house for a peaceful view on a secluded beach. About a mile inland is the Italian restaurant Campania, one of several spots where Kim Kardashian dined with her then boyfriend Pete Davidson, a Staten Island native and former SNL cast member.
A mile and a half from the Olmsted farm is a rugged but beautiful waterfront stretch that was once home to a bohemian bungalow colony called Spanish Camp. Its residents included the Catholic activist Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement and devoted her life to serving the poor. Day died in 1980, and her home and other cottages were torn down in 2001. Remnants of several bungalows can still be found by following the path to the beach from the Spanish Camp street sign. Visitors who want to pay their respects to Day can find her grave at Resurrection Cemetery. Her plain, flat tombstone (located in Section 1 diagonally across from the parking lot at 361 Sharrott Ave.) is decorated with a miniature American flag, flowers, small religious figures and the words “Deo Gratias,” Latin for thanks to God. 
Another chapter of Staten Island history can be found two and a half miles north of the cemetery in the Rossville neighborhood. Here lies Sandy Ground, which calls itself the oldest continuously inhabited free Black settlement in the US. An African American man first purchased land here in the late 1820s and others settled here in the 1840s, moving in from Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay area. Rossville AME Zion Church was founded in 1850 and served as a stop on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War. The original cemetery still exists with more than 30 marked graves. Historic homes include the Reverend Isaac Coleman and Rebecca Gray Coleman House, and the Baymen’s Cottages, which housed workers in the oyster trade. The Sandy Ground Historical Museum tells the community’s story. Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve is nearby.
LIGHTHOUSE HILL
A drive around Lighthouse Hill’s steep and winding roads offers a glimpse of some of Staten Island’s most interesting architecture. The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art was designed to resemble a Tibetan mountain monastery. Founded and designed by an American woman who was a Tibetan art collector, Jacques Marchais, the museum hosts meditations, performances and other events. Less than a mile away is The Crimson Beech, the only home in NYC designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (it is privately owned but can be glimpsed from the road). And yes, Lighthouse Hill has a lighthouse: the Staten Island Range Light, a whimsical red-topped octagonal structure built in 1912 that’s 90 feet tall and 145 feet above sea level. 
RICHMOND TOWN
Historic Richmond Town tells the story of 350 years of life on Staten Island. Richmond Town was the original county seat for Staten Island (which is also known as Richmond County). Its preserved sites include a courthouse, church, jail, tavern, cemetery and homes. Visitors can take guided tours, interact with costumed interpreters and see demonstrations of crafts and skills like blacksmithing. Programming includes concerts and festivals. Decker Farm, which dates to 1810 and is considered NYC’s oldest continuously working family farm, is a mile away. 
Nearby Richmond Town are the Greenbelt Nature Center, High Rock Park and La Tourette Park. Just south of La Tourette in the Great Kills section is Atrium Stadium Cinemas, which hosted Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson for a screening of House of Gucci. North of La Tourette is the Staten Island Mall. 
TOTTENVILLE
Tottenville is located on Staten Island’s southwestern tip, as far from the ferry as any point on the island (but reachable via the Staten Island Railway). It’s worth the trek, especially for anyone interested in American history. 
The Conference House, a grand stone manor house built in 1680, is the second-oldest building in New York City. It’s named for a peace conference held there on September 11, 1776, just a few months after the start of the Revolutionary War between England and the American colonies. Founding Fathers John Adams and Ben Franklin met with King George’s representative, Lord Richard Howe, but the Americans were only authorised to negotiate terms that included independence for the colonies, and the British would not concede that point. 
The house is located in a stunning waterfront park with a pavilion and breathtaking views of Raritan Bay. The park includes three miles of shoreline and six miles of hiking trails, plus the Conference House Visitors Center and several other historic homes: the Rutan-Becket House, the Ward-Leven House and the Henry Hogg Biddle House. Do not miss Alice’s Garden at the Biddle House, a charming site dedicated to artisans of Tottenville’s Atlantic Terra Cotta Co. The company was one of the largest producers of architectural terra-cotta in the US, and it once operated a factory on Staten Island. The garden includes samples of its work. 
Also in Tottenville: Staten Island’s favorite beer hall, Killmeyer’s Old Bavaria Inn, and the elegant Italian dining spot Angelina’s Ristorante, which has seen a surge in popularity since you-know-who stopped by—Kim Kardashian. 
NYC & Company is considered North America’s Leading Business Travel Destination 2021 by voters at the World Travel Awards.

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