EDITORIAL — Reducing passport prices would aid tourism industry
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Ontario’s tourism industry, particularly in Niagara, has been in one long struggle for the better part of the last decade.
Ever since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, border security in the United States has been an ongoing concern; a byproduct of that has been fewer American visitors heading north.
That scenario was magnified last year when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security implemented its Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, making a passport a necessity if you plan on crossing the border — or more to the point, if you want to enter the United States.
That means any American without a passport can get out of their homeland, but they can’t get back in.
And because fewer than one in three Americans owns a passport, that has manifested in plummeting tourism numbers.
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Debate stirs over Canadian falls hotel plan
From the Niagara Gazette:
A plan is in the works to build a 57-story hotel and two more high-rise buildings on a prime piece of real estate overlooking the Horseshoe Falls in Canada.
The developer maintains that the project being proposed for the property which has been home to the Loretto Christian Life Centre for 148 years will provide patrons with a glorious view and jobs for perhaps as many as 1,000 people.
Opponents fear construction of high-rise building so near the Falls will have profound implications for the natural environment of the surrounding area and could detract from the experience of Americans and American visitors looking across the river to Canada.
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Timing is everything
From the Toronto Sun:
Explore your own backyard
Tourist towns near the border with the U.S. have suffered a triple whammy in recent years. The recession, new passport rules and a strong Canadian dollar have kept Americans at home.
According to statistics from Ontario Tourism, from January to June 2009 the number of American visitors to Ontario fell 7.9% compared with the same period in 2008.
Some of the losses have been offset by an increase in Canadian visitors cashing in on deals for hotels, dining and attractions in places hard hit by the downturn such as Niagara Falls.
Many of us think of the Falls as a summer getaway but there are enough year-round attractions to make it a fun long weekend for families, couples or friends.
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