Tourism group expands scope

"The Binational Tourism Alliance, with offices in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, Ont., is not a marketing group. Instead, it aims to break down barriers to tourism and cultural development. Arlene White, the executive director, said the border should not be an impediment, "just the way it doesn't stop the Falls from being on one side or the other."

This year's summit will look at how other regions "reinvented" their economies through innovative manufacturing, tourism and cultural development during previous recessions or downturns."