From the Niagara Falls Review:
Mayor Brian McMullan of St. Catharines is right about one thing: Niagara is fortunate to have Niagara Falls as a major tourist destination.
But he veers off course in suggesting all Niagara municipalities pool destination marketing fee money to promote the region to tourists.
Given the number of hotels in the city, Niagara Falls would be carrying the bulk of the load when it comes to contributing pooled resources.
The status quo is far from perfect. Right now, the money collected in Niagara Falls stays with the hotel owners to fund their own programs as well as buy-in promotions with Niagara Falls Tourism.
In the case of St. Catharines, a government-approved destination marketing fee is collected by the city and remitted to the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association, where it is also managed.
But that’s not the point in this instance.