Niagara Falls Tourism gets $4.5M boost
Money will go toward marketing and promotion as the economy reopens
Niagara Falls Tourism has received $4.5 million in federal funding to help the industry recover from COVID-19.
The money, part of the federal government’s $962-million Regional Relief and Recovery Fund launched May 13, will go toward marketing and promotion as the economy reopens.
In Ontario, $213 million of the fund is being dispersed through the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario.
Melanie Joly, Canada’s Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, announced the Niagara Falls funding Sunday.
“Niagara Falls is a beacon for the tourism sector in Canada,” said Joly, adding the funds will help reach domestic travellers as international travel is expected to drop.
“There’s a movement all across the country to more ‘shop local.’ Well, the new movement in Canada for the summer is really ‘visit local.’ ”
In Ontario, tourism accounts for nearly $40 billion in goods and services and supports more than 820,000 jobs. Tourism in Niagara accounts for nearly 40,000 jobs, according to a 2018 Niagara Region report.
Joly said she was in constant contact with Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati and Niagara
Falls Tourism president Janice Thomson to gauge the effect the pandemic has had on local tourism.
“At the beginning (of COVID-19), we really saw that tourism was the canary in the coal mine,” Diodati said. “We saw that the tourism sector was hard hit, and the first of many, many sectors hit.”
Thomson said she is pleased by the “responsiveness” of the federal government to the local need.
“With thousands of people and tourism businesses out of operation for several months now, these funds will support our campaign to invite near market domestic visitors to rediscover Niagara Falls.” Speaking for the online siberXchange conference Friday, Thomson said local tourism has always recovered from past traumas such as 9/11 and SARS. Once the “all clear” is given by the province and public health officials, the city will be ready.
“Millions of people have memories of visiting Niagara Falls and we look forward to helping them rediscover the destination and appreciate it is in fact ‘Safe to Play’ in Niagara Falls.”