NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Niagara Falls relies on tourism along with people from Canada coming over to shop as a big part of its economy, which took a hit with the U.S.-Canada border closed throughout much of the pandemic.

With the border set to reopen in November to vaccinated Canadians, business should pick up. 

"We definitely saw a drop in the shopping realm when the border was closed so I think overall it will help the economy," said Joe Hotchkiss, owner/operator of Power City Eatery in Niagara Falls.

He says he actually saw an uptick in business with the border closed because tourists were forced to stay on the American side. 

He's not sure how the border reopening to Canadians will affect his bottom line.

"A lot of the tourists that fly into Toronto and are travelling will stop here, so that would be the majority of our Canadian tourists," he said.

Destination Niagara USA estimates Canadians spent $100 million annually in Niagara County before the pandemic.

"This was really welcome news. We've been waiting for this for quite a while," said Andrea Czopp, Destination Niagara USA vice president of operations. "We were hoping it would've happened a little earlier when Canada opened to the Americans. We're still thrilled nonetheless. This is really well overdue, so perfect timing heading into the holiday season, especially for shoppers."

Many Canadian shoppers frequent the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. Their general manager tells Spectrum News 1 in a statement there is a pent-up demand from international visitors, and they look forward to a great holiday season.

"I'm really hopeful that this brings people back to that mall," Czopp said. "That is such a fantastic mall and there are so many hotels and motels right around it. So this would really be a big deal if people start coming back from Canada to shop and doing their holiday shopping."

That spending means more sales tax dollars coming into Niagara County and Western New York, as Destination Niagara USA is preparing for the long-awaited return of Canadians.

"We'll probably be starting to turn on our marketing efforts over on the Canadian side very soon just to start reintroducing ourselves to them and reminding them, hey, come on over," Czopp said.