The Niagara Parks Commission wasn't the only business to struggle in 2009.

The tourism industry as a whole had to scratch and claw its way through a year hampered by unseasonable weather, new passport requirements and a deadly influenza strain.

"It's extremely bleak out there," said Niagara Falls Tourism chairman Wayne Thomson.

"And the parks commission is always a good barometer. If the parks commission is not doing well, then we in tourism in general aren't doing well."

Thomson said some of the remote areas on Lundy's Lane saw a 20 to 25% drop in business.

"They were extremely badly hit. The key tourist areas -- Clifton Hill and Fallsview, depending on the property, location and branding -- you're probably talking 5 to 15% down from the previous year."

But there is a bit of good news, said Thomson. Marineland appears to be avoiding the industry's struggles. Dealing mostly with day trippers, the attraction has a widely successful marketing program, said Thomson.

"You can never get the jump on (Marineland owner) John Holer. He knows his market. He researches his market. He identified that the passport would be an issue for day trippers, so he shifted all his marketing to Ontario and Quebec.

"As a result, he saw a 30% increase in his Quebec visitation. It shows you what good marketing will do."

The launch of new passport requirements in June had a "huge" impact on cross-border travel, said Arlene White, executive director of the Binational Tourism Alliance.

"From what we heard, particularly on both sides of the border ... folks definitely felt the pinch," she said. "I would say, in a lot of cases, numbers were down from what was anticipated. And people were conservative in their estimates, too."

She said over the past month, however, traffic at international bridges seems to be going up as people become more familiar with passport requirements and what to expect at the border.

But last year, both Canadians and Americans largely chose to stay away.