niagara falls winery

A natural wonder formed 12,000 years ago continues to attract the attention of Pittsburghers. Millions of people from around the world travel to Ontario, Canada, each year to view the magnificence of Niagara Falls. The American side of the falls in Niagara, N.Y., is just as popular and has become a favorite driving destination for residents of the tri-state region.

"Niagara Falls, whether it's the American or Canadian side, has always been one of the top 10 driving destinations from Pittsburgh,'' said Ruth Nagy, director of travel operations for AAA Travel in East Liberty.

"A lot of people like to go to Niagara Falls, N.Y., for the weekend, so we book a lot of hotels there. For those who haven't been there for awhile, it's worth the visit to see how the area has grown, and it's close enough to Canada if you want to go to the theatre in Toronto.''

Ms. Nagy, who has 22 years of experience in the travel industry, visited Niagara, N.Y., more than two decades ago and has since returned about five times. Her most recent trip this summer featured a journey to Goat Island, which separates the Canadian side of the falls from the United States.

She said visitors of all ages are attracted to New York not only to see the falls, but also to participate in a variety of other available activities, such as fine dining, shopping, outdoor activities, fishing and gambling.

The Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp., based in Niagara, N.Y., knows Pittsburgh is a major market for falls visitors and has commissioned a study to determine how it can increase the number even further. The NTCC targeted Pittsburgh, along with Cleveland and several cities in New York, in a major advertising campaign that kicked off in July.

"As soon as we rolled with our campaign in Pittsburgh, the numbers spiked out of proportion to other cities,'' said David Rosenwasser, president of the NTCC. "The drive for Pittsburghers is about 240 miles, or about four hours, and it's very affordable. Niagara USA has a lot of attractions and many of them are free of charge.''

Mr. Rosenwasser said the Pittsburgh-Niagara connection demonstrates a travel industry trend that has been noticeable since the terrorist attacks of September 2001. People want to stay close to home and enjoy vacations where they can travel by car and take the entire family.

He first noticed the strong connection between Pittsburgh and Niagara when he moved to New York from Wisconsin to accept his current position in May 2003. He initially stayed in hotels when he moved to Niagara Falls and found himself talking to a lot of people from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

"I wasn't extremely familiar with Pittsburgh, although I had been in the city every few years for business reasons or to attend a Pirates game,'' he noted. "When I took this job, I quickly realized that Pittsburgh was a major feeder market for tourism here. That was the first time we decided to concentrate on that market and do an analysis to determine how we could get even more people here.''

The NTCC commissioned Niagara University in Lewiston, N.Y., to conduct a two-year study to determine what regions visitors are coming from and what portion are from the Pittsburgh area. The study includes interviews with people at strategic points, including rest areas and state parks, between Pittsburgh and Niagara. One of the questions survey participants are being asked is whether they are repeat visitors to the falls.

The results from the first quarter of this year show that most people who were on their way to Niagara were from the Pittsburgh or Cleveland areas. The second-quarter results will be available in about a month.

Another indicator that reveals how much interest Pittsburghers have in Niagara, N.Y., stems from the number of inquiries the NTCC receives via e-mail and phone requests for more information, as well as the number of visitors to the Web site at www.niagara-usa.com. Mr. Rosenwasser said the inquiries indicate that this section of New York is a popular attraction for Pittsburghers throughout the year, although the prime tourism season runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Tourists aren't just coming to see the falls anymore, though. They want to explore all of Niagara County, N.Y., Mr. Rosenwasser said.

"The falls are, of course, a real magnet, but we're letting people know how much product we have throughout the county,'' he said. "If people in Pittsburgh come for the falls, they come for the region, as well.''

A sampling of the other attractions include the Seneca Niagara Casino, the Herschell Carousel Factory Museum, the Aquarium of Niagara, the Niagara Aerospace Museum and a wide range of fishing, golfing, wine-tasting and hiking activities. And Buffalo, N.Y., is only 30 minutes away by car.

Mr. Rosenwasser said there are plenty of other attractions, including the Pocono Mountains in northeast Pennsylvania, that compete for tourism dollars. However, he believes Niagara, N.Y., can hold its own and continue to draw people from across the country and around the world. Travel Magazine named the New York attraction as a Top 10 destination for honeymooners again this year.

The NTCC will continue to concentrate on the Pittsburgh metropolitan region by conducting focus groups. Mr. Rosenwasser said a professional firm will be hired to talk to Pittsburgh residents about their favorite aspects of Niagara, N.Y., and what else they would like to see.

"At the end of the next season, we should be able to see how much money is coming into our area from Pittsburgh,'' he said. "This will play an important role in determining how much money we should invest in advertising there.'

MS. CARBASHO is a freelance writer.