BUFFALO, N.Y. — Since there are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Western New York, major upcoming events in the City of Buffalo are still on, like the St. Patrick's Day parades. However, Mayor Byron Brown told reporters on Tuesday that city officials are closely monitoring the situation.
"A confirmed case certainly would put us in the mindset of having to consider cancellations of large public events," Brown said.
Patrick Kaler, the CEO and president of Visit Buffalo Niagara, told 2 On Your Side within a few hours of the governor's latest announcement they had a cancelation and a postponement. The events combined totaled about 700 people.
"It's definitely a hit," he said. "It's something that we're concerned about but as always we're still open for business. We're welcoming people."
So far in Niagara Falls there have been no cancellations for any conferences taking place in April or May, according to Andrea Czopp, the vice president of operations at Destination Niagara USA. However, she said they are preparing for any setbacks that could be on the horizon.
"We do get a lot of visitors from China and India," Czopp said. "Those are our two largest international markets. China obviously right now will be a challenge we anticipate for 2020 so to offset that, what we're really trying to do is focus more on domestic travel."
Czopp added, "We're gearing up for our spring marketing campaigns. Those marketing campaigns are all digital and they are focused on the drive market: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington D.C., Massachusetts."
Local leaders told us they're in frequent communication with state and county agencies so they're well informed when it comes to the coronavirus.
"I think what we're just trying to do is make sure that we have a uniform response, that we're providing as much as we can to visitors and residents," Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino said.
Kaler added even if the situation with coronavirus worsens and has a more significant impact on Western New York, the hospitality industry will likely be able to bounce back.
"I think that's one of the great things about the tourism industry," said Kaler. "It is very resilient and people will want to get back to traveling at their normal levels."