It's been a busy couple of days in Niagara for Minister of Tourism Melanie Joly.
Minister Joly began her tour yesterday by pledging up to $250,000 for the Grape Growers of Ontario's International Cool Climate Wine Symposium, $50,000 to launch a website for the Niagara Ale Trail, and over $34,000 for Sourpalooza, a new sour beer and food festival happening next month.
The Minister stressed the importance of year-round tourism in Niagara, not just during the peak summer months.
With that in mind, a federal contribution to tourism on the Welland Canal will see the development of winter activities like snowshoeing, ice fishing and snowmobiling.
The federal minister of tourism and official languages began her second day in Niagara by announcing almost $330,000 in funding for the Shaw Festival Theatre.
The funding comes from the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund and will be used to buy specialized audio equipment.
On Tuesday afternoon at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, the Minister of Tourism Melanie Joly announcing $175,000 for the Celebration of Nations event.
The minister citing statistics that 50% of all Asian tourists and 75% of European visitors want to experience indigenous cultures.
All in all, that's $1.2 million in tourism initiatives across the region, plus $5 million total going towards the Shaw Festival.