Diodati calls for clarity on hotel tax, DMF

From the Niagara Falls Review: It will be up to the City of Niagara Falls whether to replace the controversial Destination Marketing Fee with a new hotel tax, says Eleanor McMahon, Ontario’s minister of tourism, culture and sport. “That will be up to municipalities, that will be up to them to decide,” she told the…

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Tour operator blasts Falls tourism fee

From the Niagara Falls Review: A Toronto tour operator has blasted the city’s Destination Marketing Fee (DMF) in an e-mail forwarded to council members, saying it “damages the image of Niagara as a welcoming tourist destination.” Jacob Stevens, owner of Tripsetter Inc., is angry that the fee – up to 10% at some hotels –…

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Does hotel tax mean end of Niagara Falls DMF?

From the Niagara Falls Review: Will a new hotel tax the province has granted municipalities power to impose replace the notorious Destination Marketing Fee in Niagara Falls? There were lots of guesses after Thursday’s provincial budget, but not much clarification. Even Mayor Jim Diodati is unsure just what the new tax is, and what it…

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What would a hotel tax in Niagara Falls mean for the DMF?

From Niagara This Week: More information on a measure that would allow municipalities to institute a hotel room tax is needed before what that may mean for Niagara Falls can be determined, says Mayor Jim Diodati. “I’d be very interested to learn more,” Diodati said Friday morning while attending a tree planting at Lions Park…

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Council to ask locals be exempt from DMF

From the Niagara Falls Review: It appears Niagara Falls city council is finally wading into the contentious waters of the Destination Marketing Fee (DMF). At Tuesday’s meeting, Coun. Wayne Campbell introduced a motion calling on Mayor Jim Diodati to meet with the city’s tourism stakeholders to possibly remove the fee for Niagara Falls residents… “There…

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Time for province to tackle DMF mess in Falls

From the Niagara Falls Review: Last spring, my cohort Ray Spiteri and I did a three-part series on the Destination Marketing Fee, the notorious tourism fee several Niagara Falls hotels and restaurants have been charging since 2004. In recent years, the fee – up to 10 per cent in some places – has angered countless…

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Lots and lots of links about the Destination Marketing Fee (DMF) in Niagara Falls

If you are interested in Niagara Falls, then you probably saw some of the articles that the Niagara Falls Review had about the Destination Marketing Fee (or DMF). It is essentially a fee that many tourism companies charge that can be used for whatever that company wants. It is not a true tax, there is no…

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Deceiving our tourists with ‘destination fee’ is shameful

From the Niagara Falls Review: It rears its head every summer in Niagara Falls like a visiting relative you’re ashamed of. The ‘G’ word. Gouging. If you’ve lived here long enough, you know the drill. You know what restaurants to skip. You know what areas to avoid when the snow melts. You know that for…

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