Tourism officials in Niagara will speak with one voice as they try to attract more marketing cash to the region.

Industry groups have agreed on a partnership they hope Ontario will accept as a regional tourism organization.

The provincial government announced the creation of 13 new tourism regions, including one for Niagara, late last year.

Agencies in each region were invited to apply to form a new co-ordinating tourism body, which would be responsible for handing out all future marketing dollars from Queen's Park.

A week before the March 1 deadline, Niagara's several tourism groups still hadn't reached a consensus on who should be in charge.

That changed late last week, Joel Noden, the executive director of business development for the Niagara Parks Commission, told QMI Agency last week.

"At this point it looks like there will be only one major submission to the province, which is pretty exciting," said Noden, whose agency was chosen to temporarily act on behalf of the proposed new Tourism Partnership of Niagara, an indep e n d e nt, non-profit agency that would be run by a board of directors.

The group submitted its application Monday. Noden couldn't be reached for comment Monday.

"We managed to find some middle ground ... For the first time in years, we've got a virtual consensus throughout the region," he said last week.

Early on, that seemed unlikely.

The Niagara Economic Development Corporation already has a marketing arm called Tourism Niagara, but the board of the regionally funded agency decided not to submit an application.

While the NEDC hosted meetings among some tourism leaders to brainstorm ideas, Niagara Falls' tourism body was preparing its own application.

Niagara Falls Tourism chairman Wayne Thomson said marketers in his city, the acknowledged tourism heavyweight of Niagara, were best suited to lead the new regional entity.

Some city tourism officials previously balked at Thomson's suggestion Niagara Falls take the reins of tourism, arguing other communities would be lost in the Honeymoon Capital's brand.

On Monday, Thomson said while Niagara Falls is still the region's bread and butter, he's behind the group bid.

"As chairman of Niagara Falls Tourism, this has been a great experience to pull the region together and to market as one destination, rather than to go off and market as individual properties," said Thomson. "I applaud Joel Noden and the Niagara Parks Commission for their efforts."

Thomson said people don't come to Niagara to stay at one hotel or for any one reason, they come because of the region's diversity.

"Tourists come here to see, among other things, the falls, go to wine country, play a couple games of golf and attend food festivals."

Thomson said he expects Niagara Falls to play an important role on the new board.

"The province was clear when they announced these new regional tourism organizations that they must be made up of major tourism stakeholders and represent everyone across the region.

"Niagara Falls Tourism will carry on as is and will continue to market Niagara Falls, but probably will be participating in the different programs with the regional tourism organization."

Arlene White, executive director for the Binational Tourism Alliance, said she is "fully supportive" of the regional application.

"I've been involved in the meetings that have been taking place and I'm fully supportive that the folks have decided to come together and formulate one plan," she said.

"We absolutely need to build one strong Niagara voice that will make a difference in how we recover and attract people back to the region."

Noden said the new entity's board of directors will be mostly made up of industry players.

"Hotel groups, festival leaders, wineries, various sports groups, that's who we're working with," he said.

However, Noden added representation from the largest city-affiliated destination marketing organizations is also likely.

Noden said he received more than 40 letters of support from various tourism organizations as of Friday.

Local consensus doesn't guarantee provincial acceptance, however.

"They (provincial tourism officials) may turn us down," he said.

"They may tell us to change the plan.

"The process isn't over yet."