BUFFALO, NY - Visitors to Western New York from out of state are finding it more and more difficult lately to find a place to stay. Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Dottie Gallagher-Cohen, President and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara, told us that Canadian shoppers are at an all time high here in Western New York. They are crossing the border to get more for their buck at their favorite stores, and supporting our local economy at the same time.
"The Canadian visitation is really supporting our economy right now," Gallagher-Cohen said. "It's one of the reasons why we're doing better than other cities. And I would say to you that we would not have the stores that we have in the Galleria [mall] for example if we did not have this level of canadian shopping."
Still, this increased amount of Canadian shopping has squeezed out some opportunities for convention business because there simply aren't enough places for conventioneers to stay. Dottie is optimistic, though; she says she would take hotels filled with Canadians all day long because the Canadian shoppers are a higher rated and more consistent business.
"When Canadians come here, everything they buy feels like a great deal, and it is a great deal. Their money goes very far here, and we just happen to be the closet major metro next to their own major metro, so being a bi-national place is really serving to our advantage right now."
Visit Buffalo Niagara can already predict an increase in new hotels over the coming years thanks to this extra traffic from Canada.
"We are going to have another hotel downtown, and we know that there are going to be a couple more hotels popping up by the airport," she said. "If it weren't for Canadians, those hotels [by the airport] would not be there. And I believe the market is building to accomodate that."
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.
Hotels and lodges are seeing an increased amount of business from our neighbors to the North.