There is a fantastic article in today’s Niagara Falls Review about the Destination Marketing Fund (DMF). Apparently there will be another article tomorrow.
Guests staying at Fallsview hotels like the Embassy Suites and Hilton, as well as motels like the Blue Moon and Candlelight Motor Inn a little further afield, see a three per cent destination marketing fee added to the pre-tax room rate on their bill.
Guests at the Great Wolf Lodge and the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, however, do not.
Diners at Applebee’s and TGI Fridays in the city’s tourist sections have the extra charge added to their bills.
Those who eat at Niagara Parks Commission properties only pay the applicable government taxes.
Pick up a T-shirt or trinket at Souvenir City on River Road or the Fallsview Mini Mart and pay a premium; be spared the extra change at Jo-An Souvenirs on Victoria Avenue.
Golf at the Grand Niagara, Eagle Valley or Willowdell and there’s no charge added to your green fee.
At Thundering Waters, you’re charged three per cent more.
Ask what the charge is for, and expect to be told anything from, “It’s a Niagara Falls tax” to “It pays for the lights and the fireworks at the falls.”
Or get the correct answer - given only once in about 40 requests for an explanation: “It’s a fee added to bills in the tourist district used to improve the streetscape, pay for part of the new convention centre and advertise Niagara Falls outside the area.”
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Depending on who you talk to, things don’t appear to be as bad as many thought they would be in the tourism sector this year.
Some operators along Clifton Hill are reporting a better-than-expected summer - poor weather, a high Canadian dollar and slowdowns at the border haven’t stopped visitors from crowding the tourist hot spot in Niagara Falls, despite projections earlier this year that the numbers might fall.
On the other hand, we hear from others who say it has been a soft year … much as what was expected.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Tim Parker was wrong when he predicted a 10 per cent decline in the city’s tourism industry this year.
But the general manager of Ripley’s Niagara Falls said he’s not sorry.
“If I could retract my story from June, I would,” Parker said this week, after a day filled with strategic planning for the 2009 season. “We actually sort of recovered since then and my prediction of being 10 per cent down is sort of dissipating.
“Every week, we’re a little bit up or we’re even.”
From the Niagara Falls Review:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is reminding travelers planning cross border trips this weekend to make sure they have proper documents.
Also, prepare for heavy traffic as Monday marks the Civic Holiday and Toronto’s Carabana Carnival Parade takes place on Saturday.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection will staff all available primary lanes commensurate with arriving traffic, and will maintain staffing in those lanes until traffic subsides” said Buffalo Port Director Joseph Wilson.
This isn’t specifically about Niagara Falls, but the information is pertinent.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
A summer of record oil prices, a strong Canadian dollar and a slowing world economy are creating a “perfect storm” that’s putting a dent in Canada’s tourism market this summer, industry officials say.
Canada’s three major tourist destinations - Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver - all reported noticeable declines in visitors in July, and experts say it’s because of a myriad of factors.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
The rift between Niagara Parks Commission chairman Jim Williams and outspoken commissioner Bob Gale has escalated to the point there’s a lack of “trust” and they openly question each other’s integrity.
A Ministry of Tourism official reportedly suggested there’s a “personality conflict,” between Williams and Gale, but their own recent comments hint at something deeper.
It’s turning into an increasingly public controversy on the commission, where members traditionally conduct business privately, manage dissent internally and present a united front around the chairman.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Passport Canada is bracing for 5.2 million passport applications during the year ending March 31, 2009, a jump of 10 per cent over the previous year which itself was record-breaking, an internal document shows.
The projection is based on a revamped formula that now takes into account so-called “pulses,” that is, changes in demand that are driven by significant events, such as the U. S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative or WHTI.
The initiative requires Canadians to present passports when travelling into the United States. Previously, Canadians could show birth certificates and other documents but as of January last year, the new passport rule kicked in for air travel.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Pain at the pumps could convince some travellers to cut back on spending and rethink their travel plans. But for those taking a stroll around Table Rock Tuesday, the allure of the magnificent falls was just too much to resist.
“It’s pretty awesome, such a spectacular view,” said Tom Morrisett, who brought his wife and kids to Niagara Falls from Richmond, Va. for the first time.
“A tank of gas to come here cost me about $65 and an ice cream bar $5, among other things. But going under the falls and experiencing the (Maid of the Mist) boat ride was something else.
“We like it and will come back sometime.”
Tourism in Niagara has been kind of like the weather so far this summer: Unpredictable.
Recent Comments