Hotel bookings near Niagara Falls gaining momentum

A report from the United States Travel Association states nearly half of the 16.9 million jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector were wiped out in March and April, but 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% 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.

“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,” he 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.