Imagine you have never been to Niagara Falls and you are visiting the area for the first time. You visited the Canadian Side of Niagara Falls first, then came to the American side after a small stroll on the Rainbow Bridge. You feel lost and disappointed with your experience here compared to your experience on the Canadian side. You are not alone. That’s how many first-time tourists feel about it. Now the million-dollar question is: why does the American side of Niagara Falls look like a tourist place that needs more love?

Like many of you, I was curious about this question too. I asked the same question to some of the residents in the Niagara area. Their responses were thought-provoking: Historically, the American side of the Niagara region relied more on industries than tourism compared to the Canadian side. With the shutdown of industries, many people migrated to other parts of the country. The younger people had a different perspective. They thought that both the State of New York and the Federal Government have been ignoring the Niagara Falls area, as there are many more tourist attractions and revenue generators in this country. So, the picture is clear. Somehow, intentionally or unintentionally, this area lacks love from the policymakers.

So, why should we even invest in both Niagara Falls and the City of Niagara? The fact of the matter is that Niagara Falls is a symbol of the great State of New York and the United States of America. This attraction is related to the reputation of the state and the country. Many tourists might come to visit the falls, and they would not go anywhere else. So, their impression about the state and the country would depend on their experience in the falls area.

The City of Niagara, the State of New York, and thus National Park Service need to be intentional and collaborate to improve the amenities for the tourists. It is unfortunate that the area adjacent to national parks looks rundown and abandoned compared to our neighboring country.

The state could work with the city to incentivize people to move to the area and open businesses. The city has already been working with a few nonprofit organizations to uplift some parts of the downtown area. There should be more strategic and aggressive endeavors to facelift the whole area. The city, state, and federal government all need to come together for long-term goals to keep the existing status of the area as one of the most desired tourist attraction of the United States of America.

Delaware Arif, Ph.D., is a Fredonia resident and Canisius College professor.