Should a private tour company be running Thruway information centers?

   Thousands of travelers on their way to Niagara Falls and other Western New York destinations seek help each year from information centers at the Clarence and Angola Thruway rest stops.

   They may ask for a hotel recommendation or pick up brochures about attractions throughout the state.

   But few visitors know that the operators of the Thruway tourist information centers earn a commission for booking hotel reservations or placing brochures in racks.

   For three decades, the public agencies charged with marketing Niagara Falls have operated the information booths. The publicly funded Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp. has held the contract to run the information centers since the marketing agency was formed. Its predecessor, Niagara Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau, ran the booths before that.

   "It's been very important to the U.S. side of Niagara Falls and to Niagara County and to the whole region, because those centers allow us the opportunity to capture the guest prior to them going over the border," said John Percy, president of Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp.

   Now, the New York State Thruway is negotiating with a private company, Niagara Majestic Tours of Niagara Falls, to run the Clarence and Angola information centers, and a request for proposals issued last year suggests that the new operator will be allowed to refer travelers to companies that run tours or offer attraction packages on a commission basis.

   That could put Niagara Majestic, which offers tours of the Falls region along with other services, in the position of being required to refer visitors to its competitors.

   The Thruway's request for proposals stipulates that the new information center operators must offer "equal opportunity" to all tour and attraction package businesses in the state.

   What do you think about the plan to privatize the two information centers?

   - Denise Jewell Gee

Comments

[jim]

Absolutely. I think private operations are just fine, as long as all attractions have the opportunity to have their materials displayed.

From what I have seen, the current tourist centers leave a lot to be desired.

[Wende Rowland]

I remember back about 25 years ago when there was a big investigation by the IRS and NY State crime and task force about private tour companies having thier booths near the Thruway exits and on Niagara Falls Blvd. Remember Eugene Guido and Niagara Falls Sightseeing tours? That company was telling tourists that the only way they could get a good hotel near the Niagara Falls and sightseeing tour was to purchase from them. Of course they got kickbacks from the hotel owners that they sent tourists to. Are we starting that all over again??

[Debbie]

For everyone who knows Doreen O'Connor, they know she is a true champion of tourism for the entire area. She was involved with the original Niagara Falls CVB for many years and subsequently served on the NTCC's board of directors.
I'm sure that she will operate the centers in a fair and equitable way for the entire region.