Niagara Falls, N.Y. (WBEN) - Christmas came a few weeks late for John Percy.
With Gov. Kathy Hochul announcing in her Jan. 13 "State of the State" address that she wants to officially incorporate the Devil's Hole and Whirlpool state parks under the larger Niagara Falls State Park banner, it gives Percy, president and CEO of Destination Niagara USA and his staff a more cohesive brand to market.
"Putting everything under one umbrella makes so much sense," Percy said.
What it does is add more than two miles of picturesque hiking trails and other attributes to the 400-acre Niagara Falls State Park.
For hikers, making one stop opens the door to seeing 14 species of rare plants along the Devil's Hole and Whirlpool trails.
Additionally, it will make it easier for visitors to walk to such attractions as the Aquarium on Niagara and the Underground Railroad Heritage Center.
It may bolster efforts to land more tourists, Percy added.
"To the consumer, they can view this as one consecutive and continuous park," Percy said.
Niagara Falls State Park sees the bulk of the 9.5 million annual visitors to Niagara Falls walk through their grounds.
The additional walking trails will also give visitors better views of the falls, where more than 3,160 tons of water shot down the falls every second.
"Travelers know they are visiting Niagara Falls and the state park, but they may not know they are visiting the Devil's Hole," Percy said. "To them, it is all one park."
The formal incorporation of Devil's Hole and Whirlpool State Park will likely need state legislature approval - and that is expected later this year.
"It should be pretty simple and straight forward," Percy said.