Tourism returns up and down

By Evan DiPasquale

WBEN

Niagara Falls, N.Y. (WBEN) - Niagara Falls is one of the biggest tourism destinations in the world, but local industry leaders are reporting tourism numbers have dropped in 2025 compared to 2024. President and CEO of Destination Niagara USA John Percy has noticed numbers falling down this year compared to years past. One of the key factors Percy mentioned was heightened tensions between the US and Canada.

“Winter was negative, and then just consumer sentiment, Canadian sentiment, international sentiment, all sort of facing a downward trend or a little negativity," Perry tells WBEN. "And so that does play a role in our business, unfortunately."

Despite the lower projections from Perry, Niagara Falls Mayor Rob Restaino says tourism statistics are on the uptick and are heading in the right direction

"I know that there were so many people worried about, you know, attitudes and opinions and emotions, but the reality is, people still come," says Mayor Restaino.

Niagara Falls and Rainbow Air Helicopter Tours welcomed a new tourism center that will now allow people to not only get a helicopter experience over Niagara Falls, but also allows people to have that same experience year-round.

"I think it is safe to say that the more of these types of activities that you add into the bucket of things that people can do, the better it is," Restaino said

Assembly member Angelo Morinello feels that Niagara Falls needs to look at tourism numbers in a 10 year window and encourages Canadians to not read the national press and come back to the United States.

"We have to look at a 10 year picture, maybe, or a 15 year picture and track," Morinello said. "So we can't panic, but new attractions, such as this Rainbow Air Facility will bring people, and so they just need new things to look at, and I feel that that will be the key in the future."