DPF - Destination Promotion Fee

[NiagaraFalls]

What is the DPF also known as the DMF ( destination marketing fee )

Is the 3% Destination Marketing Fee (DMF) or Destination Promotion Fee (DPF) a Tax?
No, the fee is not a tax. It is a voluntary fee that is collected by establishments for additional marketing. As of 2004, the fee applies to guests rooms rented for less than 30 days. These legislated levies are automatically applied to a guest’s hotel bill.

What other Cities have a DMF or similar fees?
Many major North American cities have hotel taxes. Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Edmonton are examples of different cities that collect a DMF from visitors. Others include Victoria, Quebec City, New York and Chicago.

What do the establishments do with the money raised from the DMF?
In Niagara Falls the money they generate is earmarked for advertising and other initiatives to attract more tourists and deliver more services to visitors while in the City. The fee, when used for marketing, promotion and Destination enhancements, will ensure that Niagara Falls continues to be promoted as a must see destination and that visitor experiences in our destination will be enhanced through additional programming and special events

[NiagaraFalls]

Recently it has come to our attention that this fee that is supposed to be used to MARKET Niagara Falls to the world has come under some scrutiny.

The Niagara Falls Tourism Board is supposed to be using this fee that has been collected since the SARS outbreak in Toronto a few years ago, This board is supposed to be spending this money on marketing. This however is not being done (and local business owners that have to staff their shops and hotels collect this fee and present it to the tourism board.)

The owners of restaurants and hotels and many other local shops are disappointed in the tourism board as they are not doing a good enough job with this fee that has been collected.

Sure the tourism board has a nice website that is mainly made up of affiliate links to hotels where again they seem to be making money but the fact remains that Niagara Falls has 2 world class casino's on the Canadian side and 1 on the American side. and The tourism board is not doing its job.

These local business owners are suffering from declined tourism numbers every year and this is what the promotional fee was intended to offset.

Hotel owners continue to drop rates at their properties to offset this DPF and they are still seeing no return.

Its my opinion that the Niagara Falls tourism Board better get off its ass and start doing what they should be doing to attract more visitors to this great city.

I have yet to see a commercial advertising Niagara Falls, No ads in any UAS city newspapers. It's a shame that local business owners have to suffer and still must employ people to collect this fee that is being charged for a service that obviously is not being adhered too.

A lots of surcharges and hidden cost in Canada.
IS THIS TO 'ENCOURAGE' TRAVELERS?

we were in the falls and stopped to buy some fudge. We we charged 11 cents DPF on a $3.75 purchase. If this fee is used to promote the falls, as for us, it has a negative effect. We will think more than twice in going back.

I think that the prices in Niagara Falls are high enough that adding another fee is just criminal! We recently spent the weekend in Niagara Falls and were disgusted that we were being charged this fee. I don't think that sticking it to tourists like you are is going to attract visitors to your city. I have told everyone that I have seen since our trip about this and not in a very nice way....that is not the greatest advertising that you can have.

[NiagaraFalls]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I think that the prices in Niagara Falls are high enough that adding another fee is just criminal! We recently spent the weekend in Niagara Falls and were disgusted that we were being charged this fee. I don't think that sticking it to tourists like you are is going to attract visitors to your city. I have told everyone that I have seen since our trip about this and not in a very nice way....that is not the greatest advertising that you can have.

Since our thread was opened and the DPF was put into question the powers that be have responded publically in the local print media See Article

However this issue has still not been addressed, We know how hard our local hoteliers work and to have them collecting this fee on behalf of Niagara Falls Tourism costs these hoteliers alot of added expenses, labor, accounting ect.

Not to mention that these same hoteliers are the ones funding the convention centre in part, but they must also pay hefty fee's to the Niagara Falls Tourism board for advertising.

I think that Anna Pierce should comment on how much is raised via the DPF,

The expenses that the Niagara Falls Tourism board has for a group that employs very few people, runs a website, and does some advertising ( not on a national level ) a 400,000.00 increase and the mystery DPF revenue must be disclosed.

It would be very reassuring to find out that the DPF being collected was going to be put towards the New Convention Centre and Greater marketing and exposure for Niagara Falls as a must visit tourist destination.

The DPF, just another money grab that has surfaced in the ever increasing budget for these so called beneficial government bodies. Did someone say that it was voluntary? For who? Certainly not the unsuspecting visitors.

I am appalled by the audacity and idiocy of the persons responsible for implementing this. Niagara Falls is already a haven for half-ass overpriced attractions, so lets make the poor bastards pay more for them, because the tourism board can't seem to do their jobs effectively.

The biggest joke of all is just like any other "Tax" (to call it anything else is just lying) it will never go down, only up, because all government agencies are selfish when managing money. It works like this, an agency gets a certain amount of dollars, they give themselves regular wage increases, spend exorbitant sums on expense accounts and pay in excess for any goods or services that are actually required to do their jobs. Therefore when it comes to their budget for the next period, they require more money, never less. If they make the books leaner they will get less money to do their job, making it more difficult, which we all know is not going to happen.

The public has got to be more involved with the expenses of these agencies. Problem number one arises from the Canadian people not wanting to know anything about politics, we can't stand to vote more than once every couple of years. Many soldiers have given their lives for our rights, which very largely includes the right to vote, to have a say in who has legitimate power in our country/province/region/city. If anybody paid any attention to politics the liberal governments on any level, would be out of business. Small wonder that they can't be bothered to see the incredible wastage all around them.

It has already been posted on this board that visitors are opposed to this supplemental fee. This demonstrates that even if the DPF works in bringing more people to Niagara, it will at the same time send away more disgruntled (is there such a thing as gruntled?) people to spread the already tarnished reputation of Niagara.

'nuff said

We also just returned from our trip to Niagara Falls. In reviewing our hotel bill I noticed this DPF fee. What a crock. Do you want to entice or scare people away? It was bad enough paying the ridiculous prices for food, parking, etc. Now this.

People are fed up with taxes, especially in this province and country. Adding ANOTHER one only makes the lure of Niagara Falls worse.

[NiagaraFalls]

In response to so many posts / emails / phone calls

The body responsible for the DPF is the Niagara Falls Tourism Board

Niagara Falls Tourism
5400 Robinson St
Niagara Falls Ontario
Canada
L2G 2A6

Local Phone: (905) 356-6061
Toll-Free: (800) 563-2557
Fax: (905) 356-5567

Victor Ferraiuolo Executive Director His extension is 17

Voice your distain to Mr. Ferraiuolo, This board also recieves funding from the government yet they still insist on the DPF

PLEASE REMEMBER WHEN VISITING NIAGARA FALLS YOU CAN REFUSE TO PAY THIS FEE AND YOUR HOTEL, RESTAURANT, ATTRACTION WILL REMOVE IT AND NOT MAKE YOU PAY.

As someone who works in the hospitality industry in Niagara Falls, I can tell you that the DMF / DPF is counterproductive.
This monetary fund is supposedly being used to promote Niagara Falls to new and repeat visitors. However the fee is viewed so negatively by guests that it discourages them from visiting again. They see it as yet another part of Niagara Falls money-grabbing tourist trap.
The old adage that it is easier to keep guests returning by keeping them happy rather than constantly trying to find new guests should be taken into consideration. This fee is yet another reason that people do not want to return to a country that already has the reputation of being an expensive destination.
In addition it is difficult to for 'front-line' workers, some who don't understand this fee and others who understand it but don't support it, to justify it to their guests.
I urge business owners to stand up on behalf of their guests and their employees by not participating in the collection of this fee.
This is a ridiculous and embarrassing situation that needs to be eliminated.