Destination Niagara tells council 2024 marketing and events drove visitor growth and strong ROI

John Priti, representing Destination Niagara, presented the organization’s 2024 annual report to the Niagara City Council at the meeting on May 1, outlining marketing results, earned media and visitor metrics tied to bed‑tax investments.

Priti said Destination Niagara increased digital marketing spend and targeted campaigns across seasons, and credited the April 8 solar eclipse for boosting earned media impressions. He reported web traffic increases, nearly a billion media impressions tied to the eclipse coverage and a rise in visitor center counts after the pandemic. Citing internal tracking, Priti said some campaigns generated “a 111 to 1 return on investment” for specific segments and that overall bed‑tax investment returned about “19 to 1” to the community.

He provided examples of focused initiatives, including motor‑coach leisure sales (which he said produced double‑digit growth), international marketing (calling out the U.K., Germany and India as priority markets) and support for film production activity that he said had immediate local economic returns. Priti noted the organization manages the Old Fall Street convention building and visitor center and that Mayor Restaino holds an ex‑officio seat on Destination Niagara’s board because the bed tax passes through the city.

Council members accepted the presentation; no legislative action was tied to the report at the meeting. Priti invited council members and residents to review the full packet, which includes a breakdown of advertising impressions, convention room‑night impacts and the organization’s 2024 board roster.