Niagara Falls mayor Jim Diodati and St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens say the tax credit has helped tourism in Niagara
The Ford government is facing calls to keep the staycation tax credit.
St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens says hanging on to the credit will do a lot to help local tourism businesses and workers.
"We need to get the Ford government to make sure that they continue the staycation tax credit. It could help with recovery of wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake, to all of our theatres, our live performance plus hotels in Niagara. We must look into a made in Ontario approach."
Meanwhile, Niagara Falls mayor Jim Diodati notes the tax credit has helped domestic tourism in Niagara.
However, he also thinks the provincial and federal governments should do more to encourage international travelers to visit.
"Typically, 50 percent of the revenue into Niagara Falls is from international (sources), largely the United States. That has not rebounded. That is slow to recover. That is probably where we need to turn our reference to."
Yesterday, the province announced plans to scrap the credit, and instead support tourism through investments in festivals, events and tourism organizations.
This comes after the Ontario Chamber of Commerce released a report this week, saying Ontario's tourism industry won't fully recover from the pandemic until 2025.
The report recommended keeping the tax credit.
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