While the closed border between the U.S. and Canada has had significant economic costs in Upstate New York, it increased the region’s exposure to local U.S. citizens; so–in the long run– businesses will benefit when Canadians come back.
Canada’s border is reopening in November for the first time in 19 months and it will result in a boost to the economy of Upstate New York and the Adirondack area especially. The Adirondacks will be impacted because of the natural wilderness and mountains that cover 6 million acres of land. For many Canadians, the Adirondacks is a haven of wildlife and wilderness that they have been visiting for their entire lives. Opening the border between the two countries is long overdue and something that Republicans and Democrats have been pushing for. Due to the high vaccination rates and low COVID numbers within Canada it makes no sense for the U.S. to keep the border closed. The only issue once Canada does open the border is that they will require a covid test for when citizens come back into the country. The test seems minor, but in reality, it will deter many day-trippers simply looking for a nice hike or ski day at Whiteface. However, I believe that this safety measure will be lifted soon. In the meantime though, many Canadiens will still be itching to get to the Land of the Free for family, friends, views and lower taxes.
Summer generally brings the most Canadiens into the Park because of hiking and other recreational activities, but the fall and winter seasons also have some pull for Canadians. The true impact of the border opening may not be seen until the summer, but the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism in the Lake Placid area says that they are hoping to market the winter appeal. COO of ROOST, Mary Jane Lawrence, told the Adirondack Explorer that she plans to “promote the region, via social media marketing, to travelers from Quebec and Ontario as a “winter wonderland”” (De Socio, 2021). It does seem a little flawed to market the Adirondacks as a ‘winter wonderland’ to Canadian neighbors, who generally receive more snow and have larger ski areas closer. However, this marketing move shows that the region is confident that Canadiens will be determined to visit even with the safety measures and inconveniences. Whether they actually will come is yet to be determined, but Adirondack locals are ready to accept them.
The decrease in Canadian visitors in the last two years has caused Adirondack businesses to change course from purely tourist destinations to embracing the local communities. The loss of visitors from the north does not mean that there were no tourists in the area, but the loss of that revenue forced many business owners to rethink who their consumers were. Now, with the border open again, businesses will prosper as they now serve locals, U.S. tourists, and Canadians.
Literature Cited
De Socio, Mike. (October 2021). Business leaders, attractions and politicians hail Canadian border reopening, yet keep cautious outlook. https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/border-boom
McKinley, Jesse. (October 2021). Border With Canada to Open, and North Country ‘Could Not Be Happier’. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/14/nyregion/us-canada-border.html