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Niagara Falls tourism seeing 'slight indications of recovery'

'I think things are moving so positively in the right direction,' said John Percy, the President & CEO of Destination Niagara USA.

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — A report from the U.S. Travel Association states nearly half of the 16.9 million jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector were wiped out in March and April and that 40% of excess U.S. unemployment is in that sector as well.

Western New York hasn't been immune to the hit.

However, at least in Niagara Falls, there are some signs that brighter days are ahead.

"We are seeing some slight indications of recovery now," said John Percy, the President and CEO of Destination Niagara USA, adding, "We've seen that hotel bookings have increased 28 percent week over week on an average." 

There could be many reasons for the recent uptick. For example, pent up demand for travel.

"Our areas match up to what our campaign says, that we're wide open spaces, now open for adventure," Percy said.

He added, "A lot of our attractions right now in the summer period are outdoor-related attractions, with the Maid of the Mist and the Cave of the Winds. In fact, today I just heard that Cave of the Winds is sold out for the rest of the day. Last Saturday the Cave and the Maid were sold out by noon for the rest of the day." 

So where are these visitors coming from?

After all, there's still restricted travel across the border and visitors from many states coming to New York are required to quarantine for 14 days.

"Many of our customers are coming from nearby states or even within New York State," Percy said. 

While things appear to be turning around, Percy said they likely won't see a normal pre-COVID-like tourism season until 2022 or 2023.

For now, he said this is one example of how the tourism industry may be one of the first to get knocked down, but it will always bounce back.

"I think things are moving so positively in the right direction," Percy said.

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