It’s not working. Despite the relative simplicity of using the ArriveCan app, especially with the removal of such requirements as quarantine plans and pre-entry testing, potential visitors to both the U.S. and Canadian sides of Niagara Falls cite it as an obstacle. And it’s hurting both economies.
It’s not that Niagara Falls tourism needs another monkey wrench in the works as it recovers from its pandemic-era losses. International tourists from countries such as India, China and Korea – the three top sources of Niagara Falls visitors from overseas – are still reluctant to commit to long trips as Covid-19 lingers. Yet these are the visitors who spend the most money once they arrive.
Domestic travelers don’t love the gas prices, but that side of the tourism equation is rebounding better for Niagara Falls than at other, pricier destinations. The Falls is affordable and – unlike, say, Las Vegas or Branson – it offers beautiful, uncrowded outdoor spaces in which to safely roam. Also, as John Percy, president and CEO of Destination Niagara USA, says, “We’re on everyone’s bucket list.”
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Niagara Falls retains its iconic stature as an awe-inspiring natural phenomenon. It’s a must-do for anyone who wants to claim they’ve seen America.
If only the border wasn’t still an issue. While Western New Yorkers who cross the border regularly have been negotiating ArriveCan with relative ease, via its website or smart phone app formats, many people who don’t have specific reasons other than recreation to visit Niagara Falls see it as an annoying hassle – annoying enough to cause them to go somewhere else.
They have justification. It’s not an onerous task to complete the few questions online, but it does assume an amount of planning that casual visitors would rather avoid. If someone considers a trip to the Falls, thinking to visit both sides, that person will need to know exactly which day the border crossing to Canada will be made. The other requirements aren’t terrible – the main one is proof of vaccination against Covid-19, which we can’t argue with – but it does take a complete perusal of the online instructions, which are comprehensive, to make sure all is correct.
What seems easy to those of us who now make most of our plans online isn’t for people much more comfortable with analog forms of communication. There are still plenty of people who either don’t have smart phones or only use them for calls and texting. Even many who use all the features of their phones are growing weary of continually needing to download apps. It is possible for digitally uncomfortable travelers to have friends complete ArriveCan for them, but, in the meantime, their interest in visiting Niagara Falls may have withered.
There are other ways to indicate proof of vaccination. We got used to showing our passports, after all, and now most people must be used to providing vaccination proof, required by many entities worldwide.
ArriveCan was a nice idea, but it’s not as necessary as it once was and it’s not working as well as it needs to for the sake of Niagara Falls tourism.
Maybe it’s time to find another way.
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