BUFFALO, N.Y. — At Explore & More Children’s Museum on Buffalo’s Canalside, some of the region’s youngest tourists get a hands-on look at Buffalo culture.

Marketing and Communications Manager Chris Ryndak said the museum typically sees many Canadian families — but not this year.

“Last July we were looking through our numbers and we probably had about 1,500 Canadian guests. This past July we’ve had about 400,” Ryndak said.

That decline follows a year of record-setting growth. According to Visit Buffalo Niagara, visitor spending in Erie County reached $2.7 billion in 2024.

Visit Buffalo Niagara President and CEO Patrick Kaler said tourism spending was up by 7.2% from the previous year, and attendance also climbed.

“We’ve seen almost another million visitors coming into our destination o

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