“We already have 14 million visitors a year, but this just adds another dimension that hasn't been there before,” said Caslin. “We've seen the wine industry grow, the culinary industry grow, now as a sports destination as well it will add a new dimension to Niagara.”

With the announcement behind them, Caslin said the bid team now has to hit the ground running and continue its work on moving forward in conjunction with its partners and the community at large.

“It’s going to take a lot more than just money. It’s going to take volunteerism, engagement and we need to look towards our partners and be conscious of what exists already,” he said, adding the priority will be getting regional staff working with the Niagara Sport Commission, bid team and the Canada Games staff.

Caslin thanked the community at large, from the residents who got behind the campaign, to the bid leaders such as Bram Cotton of the Niagara Sport Commission and bid chair Doug Hamilton.

“They’ve done such fabulous work in putting it all together. Now the next hurdle is turning this into reality.”

The games, according to Caslin, are projected to bring in excess of 30,000 visitors to Niagara, in addition to the 5,000 athletes and hundreds of national media.

"The 2021 bid evaluation process was extremely competitive with four remarkable communities putting forth outstanding bids to host the 2021 Canada Summer Games," said Tom Quinn, Canada Games Council Chairman. "Everyone involved in the bids should be very proud of what they accomplished. It was rewarding for our entire committee to see such passion for the Canada Games in each community."

The Niagara bid committee will now being its work to plan and stage the event. The Canada Games officials say the immediate focus will be to debrief with the Canada Games Council, begin the incorporation of a Host Society for Niagara, selection of key leadership positions, and identification of key representatives to attend the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg that will take place from July 28 to August 13, 2017. These key representatives will be given the opportunity to take advantage of the mentoring program offered by the Canada Games Council and witness first-hand how the 2017 Host Society will host the 2017 Canada Games.

In a statement, St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley said he is confident Niagara region will do "a superb job in hosting the 2021 Canada Summer Games" and he congratulated the Niagara team led by Doug Hamilton and Bram Cotton and Matt Hill of the Niagara Sport Commission.

"With Brock University, Niagara College, the Meridian Centre, the Welland sportsplex, the Henley rowing course, the Niagara flatwater centre and the Great Lakes all available as sites, with a significant francophone community in Niagara, with many unique tourist attractions and in close proximity to the US border, our bid, supported unanimously by all communities in Niagara, is solid," Bradley said in a statement at Queen's Park on Tuesday.

While the two-week games’ immediate economic impact will be hefty, the games will also leave a lasting legacy.

Niagara’s bid committee and the politicians who made a hefty commitment to landing the games certainly weren’t cocky going into Thursday’s announcement: when the games big evaluation committee members made a crucial one-day visit to Niagara on March 1, committee chair Wayne Carew told reporters that all four bids were very solid.

“The reality is, all four communities would probably do a great job of putting on these games,” he said.

But there was a quiet confidence emanating from the Niagara bid organizers that their plan — from the facilities that will leave behind lasting legacies in Niagara, to the financial projections and logistics of moving around and housing some 5,000 athletes — was ironclad.

Carew also made it clear during his committee’s visit that community passion for the bid plays a big part in who is chosen winner.

Niagara’s games organizes used the snappy line ‘I’m in,” urging Niagara residents to show the world they were all in for the games.

Caslin assured Carew that he and his committee would see how passionate Niagara residents are about landing the games held every two years in different provinces.

Niagara’s bid was an “extraordinary vision” for the games, said Caslin.

Regional politicians showed they’re in: in addition to funding about $220,000 for the exhaustive bidding process over a year a half, they also committed $10.3 million toward the games — more than triple what the region was required to commit.

— With files from Paul Forsyth