From the Niagara Falls Review: Tourism officials in Niagara will speak with one voice as they try to attract more marketing cash to the region. Industry groups have agreed on a partnership they hope Ontario will accept as a regional tourism organization. The provincial government announced the creation of 13 new tourism regions, including one…
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…
From the Niagara Falls Review: It was a year to forget for the Niagara Parks Commission. The provincial agency saw a dramatic decline in foreign visitation in 2009. Whether it was H1N1, which literally stopped international travel for a period of time, the coolest and wettest summer since 1992, rising fuel prices, or the rception…
From the Niagara Falls Review: Rules aimed at keeping the Niagara Parks Commission’s search for a boat-tour provider “above board” mean commissioners are to avoid contact with potential bidders -but the same rules wouldn’t disqualify a bidder who attempts to lobby members of the government agency. “This has no consequences for anyone other than commissioners…
From the Niagara Falls Review: The Niagara Parks Commission has launched a community website designed to provide easy access to information about the operations of the parks and how to do business with the commission. The move follows recommendations in Ontario Ministry of Tourism governance and audit reviews of the NPC undertaken last year. “The…
From the Niagara Falls Review: When Archie Katzman banged a gavel on the wooden table promptly at 10 a.m., it signalled to about 40 spectators the start of a new era for the Niagara Parks Commission. The open era. For the first time in its 124- year history, members of the public were allowed to…
From the Niagara Falls Review: It was standing room only at Oak Hall Friday where several dozen people crammed into a committee room for the first public meeting of the Niagara Parks Commission in its 124-year history. “We did not expect to see this many people,” said acting chairman Archie Katzman. Commissioners are “encouraged” by…
From the Niagara Falls Review: It’s hard to know how many chairs to put out when you’re not sure who is coming to the party. The Niagara Parks Commission is gearing up now to accommodate the press and members of the public at its first public board meeting Friday, after more than a century of…
From the Canadian Press (via Penticton Herald): Getting competitive bids for one of the world’s oldest and most famous tourist attractions – the Maid of the Mist boats in Niagara Falls – may not be as straight forward a proposal as the Ontario government hopes. The Niagara Parks Commission came under fire last year for…
From the Niagara Falls Review: More than 400,000 people toured the Butterfly Conservatory last year. Employees at the facility are used to seeing and hearing people’s positive reactions to the roughly 3,000 winged wonders around them. But it’s unlikely many of the visitors fully understand the work and effort that goes into keeping one of…