New York state parks received a record high of almost one million visitors for the solar eclipse over a three-day period.
Governor Kathy Hochul hailed the record setting tourism numbers from April 6-9.
It marks a 45% increase on usual visitation numbers for the period.
Gov Hochul was at Niagara Falls State Park to witness the solar eclipse.
“From majestic Niagara Falls to the mighty Adirondacks, New York was one of the best places on earth to witness this once-in-a-generation celestial event,” Governor Hochul said.
“We planned for more than a year, and those preparations helped this event go off safely and successfully.”
Hochul set up an Interagency Task Force comprised of nearly two dozen state agencies and authorities to handle the large numbers of visitors.
On April 8 alone, New York state parks welcomed more than 326,000 visitors and 12 state parks reached full capacity on the day.
These included Cayuga Lake (Seneca County), Fair Haven State Park (Cayuga County), Seneca Lake (Seneca County) and Southwick Beach (Jefferson County)
Campgrounds at state parks within the path of totality were 100% booked the night of April 7 and also 93% booked the night of April 8.
New York State Parks and Historic Sites hosted various eclipse-viewing gatherings on April 8 with experts such as scientists and NASA astronauts.
