Tourism officials assessing impact of eclipse weekend
Apr. 10—One day after the moon's shadow turned the skies of Niagara County dark, government and tourism officials were basking in the glow of an eclipse event that was hailed as "a phenomenal success."
"A celestial success," Destination Niagara USA President & CEO John Percy added. "We didn't know what to expect, there's no playbook for it. But it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event."
Percy wasn't exaggerating. The Niagara Region won't see totality again until Oct. 26, 2144. The next partial eclipse visible here will occur on Aug. 12, 2045.
But in addition to the spectacle of a total solar eclipse, Percy said the event's impact on local tourism will have both short- and long-term effects.
"Anytime something happens like this, the community witnesses the value of tourism," Percy said. "We talk about trying to lengthen the tourist season, and I can't stage an eclipse every weekend, but people will come here (outside the traditional tourist season)."
County Legislator Rich Andres (R-North Tonawanda), the chair of the legislature's Economic Development Committee, said he believes the eclipse offers a roadmap for more tourism development.
"There are people who are willing to travel here, and not just in the peak (tourist) seasons," Andres said. "We need to create that draw that can bring people here outside peak seasons. We've got the infrastructure to support large groups of people (coming to the region). We have that ability. We have all the pieces. We have to put our efforts, our energy, into developing these events."
Falls Mayor Robert Restaino said that a media spotlight on the Falls, created by the eclipse event, will also help to build interest in the area outside of the summertime months.
"The media attention has been unlike anything we've ever had happen," the mayor said. "It put a bright spotlight on the Falls."
Percy said Restaino's observation shows a bonus above and beyond the value of fully booked hotels and packed restaurants.
"There's more than economic value (to the eclipse)," Percy said. "The amount of media here, national and international, that's worth millions of dollars in free media to us. It's worth its weight in gold."
The tourism chief said Tuesday that folks in the local hospitality industry were "trying to take a breath" and assess the dollars and cents value of the eclipse-related visitors to their bottom line.
"It's going to probably take a couple of weeks to plug in numbers and determine a credible economic impact," Percy said. "The hotels and motels were filled by Sunday night. The parking ramps and lots were full by 11 to 12 p.m. Monday."
But Percy said that business at a Destination Niagara USA gift shop, near the state park, offered a glimpse of what he believes most merchants and hoteliers experienced. The shop, which opened in 2018, was offering for sale a piece of special edition eclipse artwork provided by the New York State Parks.
"We had the best weekend of sales in the history of the shop," Percy said. "That never would have happened without the eclipse."
