Anna Pierce, Vice President of Niagara Helicopters in Niagara Falls, Ontario, says that bookings have dropped by 35 percent this summer compared to the summer of 2019, largely due to the lack of American tourists, despite the fact that the popular tourist destination in Ontario is located next to the U.S. border.

Pierce, who offers flights over the falls, said: "It is devastating, bookings have dropped by 35 percent this summer compared to the summer of 2019, largely due to the lack of American tourists."

Now that Canada has lifted most of its COVID-19 restrictions, travel activity has begun to return, but the number of land trips made by Americans to the country in the past two months is still down by 45 percent compared to the same period in 2019, according to Statistics Canada.

The Mayor of Niagara Falls, Jim Diodati, also said that there is "a very small amount of American dollars" coming into his city this summer, adding: "It has been painful, especially after two years of COVID."

Lori Trautman, Director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, said: "There is definitely a relatively slow recovery from the pandemic, I think people have changed their vacation habits."

Travelers must use the ArriveCAN app to submit COVID-19 vaccination information within 72 hours before arriving in Canada. But the mayor, along with many business owners in Niagara Falls, told CBC News that they believe the ArriveCAN app is a significant deterrent for American travelers. Therefore, they are urging the federal government to cancel the app or at least make it optional.

ArriveCAN was introduced early in the pandemic as a COVID-19 safety measure. People are required to use it to submit their travel and vaccination information within 72 hours before entering Canada. The app has already faced criticism in Canada, with some travelers complaining that it is inconvenient, has some glitches, is not user-friendly for seniors, and also causes problems for tourists.

In this regard, Pierce said that many American customers have contacted companies to cancel their bookings because they found out at the border that they have to use ArriveCAN, and felt confused when trying to download or complete it.

On July 29, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) changed the rules so that foreigners arriving at the land border unaware of the app receive a one-time entry permit into the country. But Diodati says the reprieve will not help because travelers still have to fill out the ArriveCAN service on subsequent visits.

Experts say that a number of factors prevent Americans from making land trips to Canada, including changing habits throughout the pandemic. But many say that having to use the ArriveCAN app to provide vaccination status before crossing the border is a major deterrent.

However, this week, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra defended the ArriveCAN program, saying it reduces wait times at the border. He said at a press conference in Windsor, Ontario: "Given the fact that we require a vaccine certificate to cross into Canada, without it, the verification process would be manual and take more time."