According to a report by the Retail Council of Canada, Niagara is on the losing end of a federal decision to scrap the visitor rebate program.
The program which was scrapped in 2007 allowed international visitors to apply for a rebate on the then Goods and Services Tax.
The Retail Council has found the region has lost nearly $600 million since then in potential tourism revenue.
Niagara Falls city councillor Wayne Thomson disputes the study saying tourism is up.
But the Retail Council says while that may be the case, visitors to Niagara Falls are spending about $66 dollars less per person than they had in the past.