Туризм в Нью-Йорке теряет канадских гостей из-за очередей на границе, а Баттлфолл наращивает потоки за счет новой рекламы

BUFFALO, N.Y. – You might call jet boating risky business. But it’s been getting riskier lately – and what’s rocking the boat isn’t waves. John Kinney is the president of Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours – the only business in Niagara County that’s currently participating in the NY Loves Canada program. The initiative gives discounts to visitors from over the border to kickstart cross-border tourism. “The numbers didn't speak well for Canadians coming over,” said Kinney. “That wasn't happening because of political rhetoric. It was not happening for difficulties with long lineups at the border and all of those challenges …” According to Tourism Economics, Canadian spending in New York dropped $480 million in 2025. In Niagara County, visitor spending declined by 5%. Sara Cercone is the director of communications for Destination Niagara U.S.A., a nonprofit that works with local businesses to promote tourism. She said that she’s encouraging more businesses to join the NY Loves Canada program. “We've had such a great relationship with both Canadians and people from all over the world,” Cercone said. “If you go down to the Falls today, you'll see people from all over the world speaking all sorts of languages, and we want to make sure that people feel welcome no matter where they're from.” But there’s a Cinderella story happening just upriver. In Erie County, tourism numbers are up despite international tensions. Brian Hayden, senior communications manager for Visit Buffalo, partially attributes the increase to a new marketing strategy. “For the first time in our organization's history, we have a sustained advertising campaign in direct flight markets like Boston and Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.,” said Hayden. “We're able to spread word about Buffalo like we never did before. Most other tourism promotion – including Destination Niagara U.S.A. – has focused on neighboring cities, including Cleveland, Erie and Toronto. Still, Hayden isn’t abandoning our neighbors to the north. “These are our neighbors. And [in] some cases they’re our relatives and our friends too. And the ties run deep between our two regions,” said Hayden. “They had always been an important part of just the Buffalo story too.” The NY Loves Canada campaign offers deals throughout September – with some discounts remaining valid until December.