More Foreigners find the Falls Fantastic

The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend the Falls looked more like the United Nations. I dropped off my group and then parked the Limo Bus. I couldn't park in the main lot (a first, as far as I know), so I had to park on the South end of the island and make my way back to the group. Along the way I saw people from all around the world and from several states.
The Niagara Gazette made note of the large crowds as well:

"Changes in foreign visitors to Niagara
By Don Glynn

Stroll through Prospect Park any day of the week — now that the prime tourist season is under way — and you’ll quickly come to the conclusion that there’s indeed a revolution in tourism.

In the travel industry, they’re known as the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and they’re coming by the bus loads — via the charter flights — to Niagara Falls. At present, it appears visitors from India rank No. 1 of the Big Four.

Not that the natural wonder here has just been discovered by the international set. Foreigners have been a major segment of Niagara tourism for more than a century but the UK no longer leads that list, tourism operators generally agree.

Locally, it’s virtually impossible to track the influx.

A large group from India or China may descend on the state park at any time and they often move swiftly — guided by a tour leader — to a specific attraction or vantage point.

Still, after you’re in the park for a half hour and maybe had a chance to observe the exodus from the Prospect Park tower, you’ll be convinced that some of the 47 million Chinese traveling abroad this year have included the Falls on their itinerary. And visitors from Indian and Pakistan are all around as well.

Of course, there was the credible threat that many Americans had been planning to cut back on their vacations this year because of the high gas prices.

That didn’t happen here, at least over the Memorial Day holiday. In fact, attendance in the state park was up more than 8,000 for the comparable weekend a year ago.

If you check out the license plates in Prospect Park and on Goat Island, you would have found visitors from as far away as Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Oregon — a lot more than a tankful away.

That combination — foreigners and Americans determined to go on vacation despite the gas prices — provided for a good start to the season.

Meanwhile, hoteliers and bed-and-breakfast operators will tell you that many foreign visitors — even some U.S. citizens who think the new passport regulations are already in effect — are reluctant to cross the international bridges because of the unwarranted concern they won’t be allowed to return.

It’s an ironic twist from the days when visitors couldn’t wait to clear customs because they were always told the view was better from that side."

My words of advice to people who are thinking about visiting Niagara Falls...DO IT! The American side, the Canadian side...the cultural attractions all around--there's plenty to do. Be certain to check out the Falls in a chauffeur driven stretch Limousine or Limo Bus from Buffalo Limousine. It's a great way to see the attractions and have a customized agenda.

Stretching Your Euros

Thanks to our slumping economy, now is a great time for Europeans to find tremendous values in the United States. According to the USA Today, Europeans are flooding cities such as New York, looking for values:

"Weak dollar draws more European visitors in 2007
The USA received 1.5 million more visits from overseas last year than in 2006 as the weak U.S. dollar lured more Europeans interested in exercising their increased buying power.
Last year, the USA received an estimated 23.2 million visits from outside North America, up almost 7% from 2006, according to a U.S. Department of Commerce estimate.
Visits by Western Europeans, the largest source of visitors, were up 8% for the year, and the news Tuesday suggested they continue to have a strong motive for visiting the USA: record strength of the Euro.
The Euro surged Tuesday to an all-time peak of $1.4982 before closing the trading day in New York at $1.4967."

Niagara Falls, NY offers real value for your Euro. Consider that the US dollar has decreased in respect to the Canadian Dollar, leading to extra incentive to stay on the US side of the border.
Here's an example of 2 adults and 2 children buying tickets to board the Maid of the Mist Boat attraction (tickets can be purchased in the US or in Canada):

CANADA: 2 Adults + 2 children = $45.60 CAN, or 29.88 Euros
USA: 2 Adults + 2 children = $39.60 US, or 25.83 Euros

In this example, you save nearly 15% by touring on the US side of the Falls. There are more examples of this. Please check our main web site for more information on visiting Niagara Falls, regardless of which side you choose!