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Border-Crossing Issues Under Study

Monday, September 19, 2011

Border-crossing issues remain more than two years after the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative-mandated changes took hold and the impact appears to be more on the local, leisure traveler than business or those from outside the immediate region.

That is among the trends emerging from an analysis being evaluated by the BiNational Economic and Tourism Alliance. The feedback comes from a Deloitte & Touche LLP study, commissioned by the alliance, and from information gathered during an binational economic summit held this past April in Niagara Falls, Ont.

The final version of the report is expected to be released soon.

The region’s four U.S.-Canada border crossings remain busy, especially with commercial trade. When combined, the Buffalo Niagara regional entry points into the U.S. are the busiest of any of the 11 states where the two countries neighbor each other, said Arlene White, Binational Alliance executive director.

The economic ripple effect from the local border crossings transcends the Buffalo Niagara region or New York state for that matter, White said.

“We impact all of the other states,” she said.

As recently as 2008, more than $80 billion in combined imports and exports crossed over the Peace Bridge or Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. The Rainbow Bridge is limited to passenger vehicles and buses while the Whirlpool Bridge can only be used by Nexus card holders. That figure was more than $70 billion last year.

The study found that 15 percent of all items being transported between the U.S. and Canada cross either the Peace Bridge or the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. It also found that 14 percent of Pennsylvania-bound goods, made in Canada, cross one of the local bridges.

“It proves that the overland crossings are very important,” White said.

Where the border is seeing a drop in traffic is fewer local citizens making their way into Canada.

Between 2000 and 2007 that number dropped 29 percent, according to preliminary data from the study. While some of the trends can be attributed to wildly fluctuations in the economy and the value of the U.S. dollar to the Canadian loonie, the larger issue appears to be still lingering concerns about border-crossing documents.

The study found that 51 percent of U.S. citizens polled said that border identification requirements are the primary reason for not crossing into Canada. For Canadians, only 34 percent said documentation was their main reason for not coming into the U.S.

“It looks like we lost the day trippers and those who normally might have made a last minute decision to cross the border,” White said.

Other key issues include a lack of interest in tourism products or events and wait times while attempting to cross the border.

White said if more advance planning was made by local officials and businesses, some of those issues could be addressed.

“If we start promoting things like we did for the World Juniors (hockey tournament), things would be a lot smoother,” White said.