BUFFALO, N.Y. — It's been more than two weeks since the total solar eclipse plunged Western New York into night-like darkness in the middle of the afternoon. As it turns out, those three and a half minutes paid off big time.
According to Visit Buffalo Niagara, in the weekend leading up to the eclipse, out of town tourists spent $14.7 million in the region. According to VBN President and CEO Patrick Kaler, that is a conservative number.
"Because we didn't include short term rentals and daytrippers, that $14.7 million could be even greater as well," Kaler said. "So that's why we're really looking at it as a conservative number that we can really stand behind."
Some of the biggest money makers included food and drink, transportation, and lodging. Hotel occupancy was up 67% on average, despite the cost of those rooms being double what they were last year. Only between 10-15% of those hotel stays were cancelled because of the cloudy forecast.
"In April, it's a slow period of time for our destination, especially going into a Monday," Kaler said. "We usually see a drop-off after a weekend, but to have those overnight stays on Monday as well, so we had a very strong Sunday and Monday, even with the weather component."
The next event expected to bring as many tourist dollars to Western New York is the 2026 NCAA basketball tournament at KeyBank Center. The 2022 tournament brought $7 million to the region. "So we are talking double what an NCAA basketball tournament would bring to our community."