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.

Falls Springing to Life

It's an annual rite of Spring for people who live near Niagara Falls, the day workers begin constructing the 'Cave of the Winds' deck. If you're not familiar with this attraction, find out more here; Click here to see a multi-media version of this story.
Here is a bit of Spring coverage from the Buffalo News:

State Parks workers are completing the yearly reconstruction of the Cave of the Winds deck, the season’s first Maid of the Mist boat will be launched Saturday, and tens of thousands of seagulls are mating near the Bridal Veil Falls.

“This is our spring,” State Parks assistant Amy Ortman of Lewiston said.

Thursday, visitors from many countries already were streaming out of the Cave of the Winds tunnel that leads to the bottom of the American and Bridal Veil falls.

The Hurricane Deck is still being rebuilt, so the tourists couldn’t venture to within 15 feet of the drenching base of the falls. They snapped photos of the reconstruction, instead.

They began dismantling the steep, winding deck last Oct. 24 — the same day the Maid of the Mist boats pack it in each season.

“If we didn’t take it down, the whole thing would be crushed by the winter ice,” Siegmann said.

Slabs of ice are still jammed between the boulders at the bottom of the American and Bridal Veil falls.

By mid-May, most of the ice will be gone and the entire Cave of the Winds structure will open."

One of the Maid of the Mist boats was launched today, the others in the fleet will return to the river on Wednesday. The fleet of four boats can accommodate 1,800 passengers at one time. This year it is estimated that 2.5 million tourists will ride this awesome attraction.
If you are headed to Niagara, the Maid of the Mist is a must! Consider taking in all the Falls has to offer by booking a Dare Devil Tour from Buffalo Limousine.