For those who have not yet reserved their hotel room, they will now have to pay more than 600 euros per night.
The business should prove very lucrative for the city of Niagara Falls. From vintage train rides costing nearly $4,000 per person to hotel rooms costing $1,600 a night, businesses around majestic Niagara Falls are eagerly preparing for an extraordinary event: the solar eclipse of April 8. The famous waterfall, located along the Canada-US border, is in the āpathā of the eclipse. The event should be well attended since around a million visitors are expected, according to local authorities.
The eclipse will be a busy time on both the Ontario and New York sides of the Cascade, with many special activities planned. Many enthusiasts plan to travel thousands of kilometers across Canada to be there when the moon’s shadow covers the sun for about three to four minutes starting at 3:20 p.m. local time. For Canada, this is the first total solar eclipse since 1979, with the next one expected in 2044.
More than 1000 dollars per night
Jim Diodati, Mayor of Niagara Falls, is already rubbing his hands. He predicts āby far the biggest crowd weāve ever hadā. According to him, up to a million people will therefore be present. Usually, the falls attract 14 million visitors a year. And many people splurge on accommodation. Many hotel rooms cost at least 1000 Canadian dollars per night (around 680 euros); some offering views of the falls even cost 2,200 Canadian dollars (1,500 euros), according to Janice Thomson, president and CEO of Niagara Falls Tourism.
Hilton rooms overlooking the falls, which typically cost around $200 Canadian dollars a night, rise to more than $1,000 during the eclipse period. Prices at Marriott’s Sheraton hotel are more than $1,000 per night, compared to around $250 for another weekend in the same month.
The region, which includes the municipalities of Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Saint Catharines, is one of the most booked Airbnb destinations in Canada for the eclipse, according to the accommodation service. John Percy, president and CEO of regional tourism promotion agency Destination Niagara USA, said in a news release that he expected the eclipse to bring āthe largest influx of visitors we have ever seenā on the American side of the falls. On the other, a vintage train will transport visitors from New York to Niagara Falls, with tickets costing nearly $4,000 (3,700 euros) per person.
Recovering from the pandemic
Hoteliers and businesses in Niagara Falls have been eagerly awaiting this eclipse for several years, hoping to recoup some of the losses suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. As for small businesses, we are recruiting staff. For Gabriel Gabrie, owner of the restaurant Bravo! Pizzeria & Grill in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the solar eclipse is expected to bring āmore people and more luckā.
āI call back our employees from the previous year and train them again. We expect the room to be fullā, enthuses the restaurateur. Some visitors, like Jason Harlow, a physics professor at the University of Toronto, will be traveling with their families. āSeeing something so rare and beautiful ā seeing the stars come out during the day ā yes, this is something my children will remember for the rest of their livesādeclared the father.
ON VIDEO – The spectacle promises to be fabulous: 1 million curious people will flock to Niagara Falls in April
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