Record year for Niagara tourism

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With summer winding down you would think tourism in Niagara Falls would be slowing down, but according to the city that’s not the case. In fact it’s on pace for a record year. Niagara Falls tourism chair Wayne Thomson says this is the best season in nearly 8 years.

“We’ve stepped up the marketing in the United States which is very important, which we cut off for awhile because they just weren’t coming.”

A lower loonie has made north of the border a more attractive destination for Americans. According to Statistics Canada, Americans made 2 million trips to Canada in the first quarter of this year. Spending over a billion dollars during their trips.

Thomson says the number of visitors to Niagara Falls has climbed 15% and it’s not just the Americans you can thank. Thomson says more and more Canadians are deciding to stay closer to home. One of the biggest attractions has been the casino, it’s also given one of the biggest payoffs. The casinos gave Niagara Falls $24 million last year, that’s about a fifth of the city’s total operating budget.