http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/386236.html

...Meanwhile, the Niagara Parks Commission on the Ontario side of the border has unveiled a $7 million multimedia ride designed to give visitors a virtual taste of the formation of the falls.

So why, as city and state officials pump millions of dollars into rebuilding Niagara Falls, is the number of U. S. tourist attractions growing smaller?
I'm not so close to this issue.... Where are the City and State pumping millions of dollars into?

The goal of tourism leaders, he said, is to create more meaningful attractions downtown that can draw big audiences — attractions that set the American side apart from the Canadian side — and to give “a real, genuine experience and first-class service.”
How long has this been a goal? According to the above quotation you have been pumping millions of dollars into rebuilding with very little results...

Discussions have been under way for more than a decade about an idea to build a world-class, interactive museum and welcome center near the state park that would give visitors a sense of place and introduce them to the region’s history and heritage.
How much have Niagara Falls Leader been paid to "discuss" this for more than a decade? You trying to compete with the Peace Bridge Commission???

The state’s economic development agency, USA Niagara Development Corp., has spearheaded recent efforts and completed a market study and design forums in 2004. A nonprofit organization, Niagara Experience Center Inc., was created in 2004, but little funding has been lined up for the project aside from a $3 million casino revenue allocation and a $10 million commitment to construction announced by former Gov. George E. Pataki.
Why is it everytime an "Economic Development Ageny" or "Nonprofit organization get involved progress comes to a complete Halt????

That’s why downtown Falls development has been the focus of city and state officials for years.
Development has been the focus for years??? Where??? How much money have you "wasted" over the years with very little to show for it? We have an Indian Casino/Hotel (At least they did their part!) and a Conference Center (Which is a waste! Should have been a world-class convention center to bring Large Conventions to the region!).

Visitors on the American side of the falls have options, too. The Cave of the Winds, the Maid of the Mist, the Aquarium of Niagara and the Hard Rock Cafe all offer family-oriented activities in Niagara Falls.
"Hard Rock Cafe"??? You are so desperate that you gotta mention the Hard Rock Cafe as an attraction on the American Side???

Dyster, who has long been a champion of the Niagara Experience Center proposal, said the loss of the three attractions was independent from efforts to rebuild the tourist district.
Anyone familiar with this, "Niagara Experience Center"? http://www.niagaraexperiencecenter.org
What kind of taxpayer funding has been pumped into this "Organization" to date with hardly any results?

As the city builds back up, some believe, the failures of the city’s past could offer a chance to start fresh.

“Before you decide we’re going to put a up a balloon or put up a carnival, you really have to start to think about what we’re about,” said Bill Bradberry, former city administrator, who has served on the city’s Tourism Advisory Board. “It’s a blank tab. We can start over and really build this thing right in a way that really makes sense to the entire universe.”
You've been "failing" for 1/2 a century! Why should taxpayers trust you with even more of our money now? What should make us think you can "do it the right way now"?

Government Officials took a beautiful international treasure that didn't cost them a dime and instead of building upon it and making it an economic windfall for our region you wasted it!