By Wa Lone and Nivedita Balu

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario, March 28 (Reuters) - From

vintage train rides costing almost $4,000 per person to hotel

rooms listed at $1,600 a night, businesses in and around

majestic Niagara Falls are preparing to cash in on the April 8

total solar eclipse - with around a million visitors expected.

The dramatic waterfall, situated along the Canadian-U.S.

border, is in the path of the eclipse, and many people are

splurging on hotels and rentals in advance to experience the

phenomenon at one of North America's natural wonders. Demand has

pushed up prices of hotels as people making last-minute plans

book the last of the available accommodations.

The eclipse will be a busy time both on the Ontario side and

the New York side of the waterfall, with numerous special

activities planned.

Many enthusiasts are planning to drive thousands of miles

(km) across Canada to be there when the moon's shadow covers the

sun for about three to four minutes starting at 3:20 p.m ET. For

Canada, this marks the first total solar eclipse since 1979,

with the next forecast for 2044.

Jim Diodati, mayor of the Ontario city of Niagara Falls,

predicted "by far the biggest crowd that we've ever had" on the

Canadian side for the eclipse. Diodati estimated that up to a

million people will be there, compared with the 14 million who

typically visit during the course of an entire year.

"Clear weather is the cherry on top," Diodati said. "I'm

just keeping fingers crossed and hoping."

Most hotel rooms are booked and prices are higher than

usual, according to Janice Thomson, president and CEO of Niagara

Falls Tourism.

Many hotel rooms were priced at C$1,000 per night and above

- and some boasting views of the falls even reached around

C$2,200 ($1,620).

The region, which includes the municipalities of Niagara

Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines, is one of the

most heavily booked Airbnb ( ABNB ) destinations in Canada for

the eclipse, according to the lodging service.

John Percy, president and CEO of regional tourism

promotional agency Destination Niagara USA, said in a press

release that he expects the eclipse to bring "the largest influx

of visitors we've ever seen" to the U.S. side of the falls.

PARTY ATMOSPHERE

Hotel company Hilton's property that overlooks the

falls is hosting a "parking lot party" offering eclipse views

from its outdoor venue along with live music, a DJ and food

trucks - priced at a C$10 entry fee, which includes a pair of

protective solar eclipse glasses and a souvenir drink cup.

Hilton's falls-facing rooms, which typically cost about

C$200 a night, were priced at more than C$1,000 for the eclipse

period. Prices at Marriott's ( MAR ) Sheraton Hotel were upwards

of C$1,000 a night, compared to about C$250 a night for a

weekend later in the month.

On the U.S. side, a vintage train will be taking people from

New York City to Niagara Falls, with tickets at nearly $4,000

per person.

Niagara Falls-based hoteliers and business owners have had

the event on their radar for years, hoping to recoup losses they

experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Small businesses are

staffing up.

Gabriel Gabrie, owner of Bravo! Pizzeria & Grill in

Ontario's Niagara Falls, said the solar eclipse will bring "more

people and more luck."

"I am calling back our staffs from the previous year and

training them again. We are expecting to have a full house,"

Gabrie said.

Some visitors like University of Toronto physics professor

Jason Harlow will travel with their families.

"Seeing something that's so rare and so beautiful - to see

the stars come out in the day - yeah, something that my kids

will remember their whole lives," Harlow said.

($1 = 1.3568 Canadian dollars)