BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – The projected opening of the Canadian border is great news for Americans who own property across the northern border.
"I'm very excited," John McCarthy, a Buffalo man who owns a home in Crystal Beach with his wife, Pam, said. "We simply can't wait to see our friends, to cross the border, and spend time there."
Bloomberg News, citing sources close to border discussions, first reported the tentative plans to ease border restrictions to those who are fully vaccinated. No exact date has been announced for the loosened restrictions, though the plan is expected to be announced within days.
John and Pam's ties to Canada run deep as the two met in Crystal Beach years ago. Today, the two own a year-round cottage, but they haven't been able to visit it because of the ongoing border shutdown between the United States and Canada. Fortunately for the McCarthys, they have neighbors who have maintained the home in their absence.
"I'd fight with them to repay them in some fashion but they refuse to do it because they're so Canadian," he said.
Despite a vast number of COVID-related restrictions in Canada, the two would jump at the opportunity to go just to enjoy times at the beach again.
"We go up there normally every week," Pam said. "We're not fair-weather friends. We're up there every week and are really looking forward to it. It's such a small town that we literally know the restaurant owners, the bank manager. It's such a small little town and we miss our friends. We really do."
Tourism
Don't expect the tourism industry in Western New York to get a big boom from the reopening of the border. While 57% of Canadians have had at least one does of the vaccine, less than 6% have been fully vaccinated and could cross the border.
"That is going to have not as large an impact," John Percy, President and CEO of Destination Niagara USA, said. "That is going to be a very small impact to those numbers crossing over."
Percy said there will be a positive impact from those who can visit but said he is looking forward to Canada's vaccination rate increasing.
There is a glimmer of hope that 2021 will still be a positive year for tourism. Memorial Day weekend hotel occupancy was at 97.3%, far surpassing Percy's expectation of between 70% and 80%. The average daily hotel rate for Memorial Day weekend in Niagara Falls was over $226 per night, far surpassing the national average of $153 per night.
Still, for now, their focus on marketing Niagara Falls is to garner interest from those who live within an eight-hour drive.
"We're seeing a quicker recovery and a quicker comeback than even I anticipated," he said. "That makes me very happy as a destination marketer and to see our partners get back to normal with their bottom lines."
