NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — We're on the cusp of another tourist season in Niagara Falls, which is vital to the Cataract City economy.
High prices will have an impact on any destination.
But in the Falls, leaders believe some of the steps they have taken in recent years might be setting them up well for the summer.
Niagara Falls has traditionally been viewed as an affordable destination, particularly for families.
However, with record-high gas prices and rampant inflation, the cost of a family vacation is significantly higher than what we might remember from two years ago.
The Falls has placed a lot of emphasis on so-called eco-tourism in recent years, with the state and federal governments pouring in millions of dollars on everything from ripping up the former Robert Moses Parkway north and converting it to a bike path, to building stairs in the Niagara gorge in order to facilitate hiking trails.
"We need to continue to focus on that," said NYS Assemblyman Angello Morinello (R) Niagara Falls. "Eco-tourism is clean, it's healthy, and it's an area that I don't think anywhere else in the country focused on it the way Western New York did."
"This has been our goal for 15 years," said Greg Stevens, Executive Director of Niagara river Greenway, regarding the expansion of trails through Western new York, especially along its waterfront. "We've got 37 miles complete and are aiming for 54 miles of completed trail."
And while it may take additional dollars for families to head to the Falls this summer, once here, there are opportunities to save on fuel costs due to the Discover Niagara Shuttle.
It takes tourists to a variety of destinations throughout Niagara County beyond the Falls, which has now been expanded to a fleet of seven vehicles for this season.
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