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.

Fearless Dare Devil to Risk Death at Niagara. But can he get Insurance?

Take a look at this dark video to see an extreme dare devil jump from the top of Niagara Falls to the gorge floor below while holding onto a rope:



The stealthy dare devil in the video is Dean Sullivan. He walked away from that stunt without a scratch, and was able to avoid Parks Police.
Now he wants to go legit. Sullivan would like to leap from the Skylon Tower this summer. His only equipment will be an ordinary climbing rope tethered to the structure. He's already scheduled to leap from a crane to promote a festival in Niagara Falls, Ontario this summer. Plus he'd like to leap out of a helicopter at Niagara as revealed in this article from the Niagara Falls Review:

Skylon Tower spokesman Lee Carr says the jump shouldn't be a problem, so long as Sullivan has the proper insurance. The Skylon has attracted base jumpers before, but no one has ever rappelled off the 160-metre tower. Carr believes it would be a hit with tourists, and a way to utilize the city's daredevil past.

"We have a history," he says. "There is a heritage of stunting in Niagara Falls."

Celebrate Old Downtown has booked Sullivan for two upcoming festivals: Springlicious May 30 to June 1, and the more apt Dare Devil Days Aug. 15 and 16. In addition to rappelling off a 200-foot crane near Queen Street, Sullivan wants to stage his coupe de grace - a 1,000-foot plunge from a helicopter.

Niagara Helicopters operations manager Rene Huessey says the stunt needs approval from Transport Canada and the usual insurance. But someone jumping from a copter with only a rope "won't be an issue."

Celebrate Old Downtown events co-ordinator Shane Sargent says stunting, for better or worse, will be forever linked with Niagara Falls, so why not capitalize on it?

"I don't think the event wants to celebrate daredevils, except we do want to recognize our unique history."

Doing a fully approved stunt will help Sullivan take the next step. Or leap.

"If he's part of the festival, it has to be all legal," says Sargent. "Or we just can't be involved. For his part, if he wants to be a professional that's what he's got to do."

"Every man will die, but very few will live ... that's a good saying. I forget where it came from, but it's true. At least I know I've done a few things in the world nobody else has done. And there's billions of people in this world.

We'll keep you posted on this story. Sullivan is scheduled to jump from a crane during the 'Celebrate Old Downtown' festival May 30-June 1.