I am pleased that the City Council has agreed to spend $180,000 in casino funds this year to offer six more free concerts. For now, as is so often the case, government has to step in before the private sector will follow. But over the long haul, I believe our share of the concert expenses will decrease, as more sponsors step up to the plate. As a tourist town, we should have been the first municipality into the concert business, not the last. You can't hit a home run from the dugout. We finally got ourselves in the game, and we're going to stay there.
Tourism is the linchpin of our new economy. Anyone who doubts this strategy should look at the numbers. From 2007 to 2008, hotel occupancy in Niagara Falls rose 6 percent, and the average hotel rate shot up 15 percent. Total hotel revenue jumped nearly 12 percent, to $63 million. Those numbers will only get better when we build up our tourist area with adequate high-quality hotel rooms for the millions who visit here each year.
That's why my administration created a fund through the NFC Development Corporation to support major hotel projects. It's already paying off. Two long-shuttered hotels will soon reopen their doors. LaSalle Hospitality will reopen the former Inn on the River in LaSalle, with a $7 million upgrade that will earn a triple diamond rating. And Empire State Development and USA Niagara are injecting nearly $3 million into the former Fallside Hotel and Conference Center near the entrance to Goat Island. This $15 million facility will include banquet space and 200 rooms, including luxury suites with a unique view of the upper rapids. And speaking of the upper rapids, the Red Coach Inn is nearly finished with a $900,000 expansion project that will add 12 rooms to an already remarkable facility. Next door, the Niagara Club will reopen this summer, thanks to the efforts of local developer and hotelier B.F. Patel.
Of course, we are all delighted to see the United Office Building, vacant for nearly 30 years, rechristened as the Giacomo. Carl Paladino's Ellicott Development Company has created a 38-suite boutique hotel in the building, complementing 24 apartments that opened in the building last year. 2009 was a year of personal tragedy for Carl, but he put his own blood, sweat and tears into every brick and board of that great historic building, and now the whole community has something it can be proud of forever.
We've also seen a series of new hotels built along Niagara Falls Boulevard near the airport. This is only the beginning of the economic spinoff from our new, $31 million airport terminal. We've been waiting a long time for the airport to maximize its potential. Thanks to the leadership of the NFTA and the city's contribution of casino revenues, that goal is now within reach. New air service to the Newark area starting this spring was just announced this week, complimenting service to Carolina and Florida destinations that is already in operation. More will follow.
Even the entertainment world is recognizing the rebirth of Niagara Falls. Our city served as the backdrop of Jim and Pam's wedding on the popular TV show "The Office." A film crew from India spent several weeks here on location for a movie called "After Life," which may restore our reputation as the Honeymoon Capitol of the World"–at least in Baliwood. And we've heard from other filmmakers who are interested in doing projects here as well, utilizing new state tax credits. Niagara Falls is an international icon. Isn't it time for us to shine on the silver screen once again?
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