Ontario’s government wants to transform the Niagara region into a “Las Vegas of the North.” The grand plan, which promises to “put Niagara region on the map,” encompasses more casinos, hotels, an amusement park, cruise ships, and even an international airport.
Already, 13 million tourists visit the area annually (including 3 million from the US), encompassing the famous Falls, and regional attractions like Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Shaw Festival, Canada’s largest casino, and the Niagara Wine Route through the area’s unique and world-class wine country. Along with festivals and special events, tourism generates over $2 billion annually, according to the Niagara Economic Development department.
Niagara Falls is rated the No. 1 attraction in Canada by Tripadvisor.
Nevertheless, provincial tourism minister Stan Cho believes “there is so much to offer within the region that we have not tapped, and what’s been lacking is a cohesive vision to draw it together. It’s why people go to places like Las Vegas for four days or five nights, Niagara Falls for four hours or five hours or one night,” he said at a recent committee meeting at Queen’s Park.
“I look at Niagara Falls as the hub of a wheel, but the spoke goes out 30 minutes in each direction to some of the most amazing places you’ve ever seen,” he added.
The province is also hoping to expand gaming and casino operations in the city. Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, which operates both casinos in Niagara Falls, signed a deal with Ontario Lottery and Gaming in 2018 to operate any casinos in the city until 2040, but Ontario premier Doug Ford wants to modify that deal, calling it a “monopoly” for Mohegan.
Ford says there is a “tremendous opportunity” in Niagara.
“We just want to modernize it and clean it up, get more opportunities, more economic development, increase tourism,” he said in early October. “There’s a whole market south of the border and we’d love to have them come up and spend a weekend, spend a week.”
Cho said the vision is in its early days, but he’s bullish on transforming the area. He wants more people experiencing wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and more Great Lakes cruise ships docking in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
The province would like to see an amusement park somewhere in the region to act as a marquee attraction as part of the “Niagara strategy,” Cho said, adding, “There’s a lot of land there that is available for things like amusement parks, increased shopping and all of that, five-star dining options.
“Our goal isn’t to pick exactly where and who, our goal is to create the conditions and provide the necessary sort of background with the foundation for those who want to invest capital to do it because there’s going to be a return.
“This is going to put the Niagara region on the map in ways it’s never been done before and we’re super excited for it,” he said.
The vision includes mass transit expansion within the region and more trains running to the area on GO Transit from Toronto, according to Cho, but whether that is enough to accommodate a surge of traffic to and around a ‘Las Vegas of the North’ seems to be a roll of the dice.
Currently the approximately two-hour drive from the GTA to Niagara (and the US border beyond) can take four to five hours on a non-winter weekend thanks to continuous bumper-to-bumper traffic on the singular viable road route – the Queen Elizabeth Way – through Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington and its skyway, past Hamilton and over the Welland Canal to St. Catharines.
If you enjoyed or found this story useful, we’d appreciate if you would forward it to a colleague or friend who may also enjoy it. If, on the other hand, a friend shared it with you, welcome! You can get all the latest travel news and reviews from Travel Industry by simply clicking HERE.