Visitors to Niagara Falls State Park this week saw two very different boat tours bobbing at the base of Horseshoe Falls: a bustling Maid of the Mist boat, leaving from the U.S. side, and near-empty Hornblower Niagara Cruise boats, leaving from Canada.
Most years, the two tour companies operate in parallel, ferrying millions of international visitors into the spray of the lower Niagara River. But in the Covid-19 era, they have become a stark example of how much safety regulations can vary from one neighboring jurisdiction to another.
While both Ontario and Western New York began phased reopenings May 19, the two governments have differed widely in their classifications of different industries and the timelines for restarting them.
Since June 26, the Maid of the Mist VII has operated at 50% capacity, shuttling as many as 230 blue-garbed visitors per trip.
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Just across the border, however, the Canadian competition allows only six passengers on each of its 20-minute cruises at the orders of provincial government.
“It’s disappointing,” said Mory DiMaurizio, the vice president and general manager of Hornblower Niagara Cruises, on his view of the river from Canada. “But I understand the dynamics of two different regulatory bodies and two different governments making decisions for two different reasons.”
The Hornblower Cruises Niagara Wonder carries only six passengers, as part of Canadian regulations to stop Covid-19, on a tour below the falls, Sunday, July 12, 2020.
Had the tourism season gone as planned, both Hornblower Cruises and Maid of the Mist would now be three months into operations. Both companies planned to open early following a mild winter and favorable river conditions.
Instead, the rapid spread of Covid-19 prevented either one from opening on time, and the border closure – announced March 21 – slashed visitors to both regions. Maid of the Mist eventually reopened June 26 with a slate of new requirements and sanitation protocols, including mask requirements for guests and daily temperature checks and health screenings for workers.
The company's trips, which run every 30 minutes between 9 a.m and 6 p.m on weekends, now accommodate half of their usual 460 passengers. On Friday, the average boatload topped out at 143 passengers, said Kevin Keenan, a Maid of the Mist spokesman.
The Maid of the Mist VII carries passengers, up to half of the ship's capacity according to state regulations to stop Covid-19, toward Horseshoe Falls.
Across the border in Canada, tours were emptier still. Hornblower initially planned to reopen at roughly 30% capacity July 1, during the second of Ontario’s three phased reopening stages. Only one day after cruises began running again, however, provincial authorities ordered the company to shut them down, arguing that Hornblower qualified more as a phase-three “tour service” than a phase-two “attraction," as the company had assumed.
To meet the restrictions on tour services, Hornblower’s two massive, 700-person boats now circle the Falls every 15 minutes with a maximum of six passengers. Guests must don masks and pass temperature checks before getting aboard. They also receive a meal and a funicular ride as part of Hornblower’s new $51-per-person “VIP charter” package, which has largely sold out since the company began offering them July 7.
Hornblower is still not making a profit, DiMaurizio said, though it has managed to cover operating expenses and retain staff with the help of a government subsidy similar to the Payment Protection Program. DiMaurizio said he expects officials to begin allowing larger tours by the end of the month.
“Then we’ll go back to some amount of normal,” he said, “similar to what’s happening on the other side of the river.”
The Maid of the Mist VII carries passengers, up to half of the ship's capacity according to state regulations to stop Covid-19, toward Horseshoe Falls, Sunday, July 12, 2020.
But Covid-19 has also taken its toll on the American side. Attendance at Maid of the Mist has plummeted to 22% of normal levels, Keenan said. Visitors to Niagara Falls State Park have also fallen a third from a year ago, and the unemployment rate in Niagara County has soared to 16% – by far the highest in the state, outside metro New York.
On the Canadian side, Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati recently estimated that 98% of the region’s 40,000 tourism workers lost their jobs during the pandemic. Some industries there have been slower to reopen.
Ontario only green-lit restaurant patios in mid-June, and indoor dining is still barred in the Niagara Region, which includes Fort Erie and Niagara Falls. On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the Niagara Region would not progress to the third and last stage of reopening this week with most of the rest of the province.
"These regions entered Stage 2 later on, so we need just a little more time," Ford said of Niagara and nine other regions at a Monday news conference.
As of July 13, the Niagara Region, which is home to almost 450,000 people, reported 25 active cases of Covid-19 and 64 total deaths. Niagara County, which has less than half that population, reported 78 active cases and 94 total deaths.
