After a five month pause, Visit Buffalo Niagara is taking a new step in trying to bring more Canadian visitors to the region. The “Buffalo Loves Canada” campaign will run all of July, with the centerpiece being a welcoming billboard along the Q-E-W near Toronto.
Visit Buffalo Niagara President Patrick Kaler said it’s to see if Canadians might be more interested in returning to the region as economic tensions between the U.S. and Canada still exist.
“So, we wanted to just go in with just a friendly reminder that Buffalo is here,” Kaler said. “Buffalo continues to love Canadians, and we are a friendly binational partner here.”
Visit Buffalo Niagara is also starting a giveaway campaign to serve as a financial incentive for Canadians. Kaler said as of May 31, the number of Canadians visiting the region is off slightly more than 20%
“Everybody is feeling it,” Kaler said. “We're hearing it from the restaurants, the hotels, our attractions.”
As a side note, several downtown Buffalo landmarks will be illuminated in red on July 1 to mark the Canada Day holiday.
