From the Niagara Falls Review:
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.”