17 Aug Latest Tourism Numbers Show Continued Growth for Nova Scotia

Tourism statistics released today, Aug. 17, show an 11 per cent increase in non-resident, overnight visitors to Nova Scotia in June. This is the fourth straight June that tourism numbers have gone up.

“Compared to last year 23,000 more people visited Nova Scotia in June, which is great for Nova Scotia tourism operators,” says Michele Saran, CEO, Tourism Nova Scotia. “Our focus at Tourism Nova Scotia is to attract out-of-province visitors and grow export revenues. We’re happy to see this increase and expect strong numbers for the remainder of the year.”

Visitation by air was up 18 per cent compared with June 2016 while visitation by road increased eight per cent.

Nova Scotians and non-resident visitors bought 283,000 licensed room nights in June, an increase of three per cent over June 2016. The occupancy rate increased by four percentage points to 52 per cent. Halifax sold the most room nights (145,000), followed by Cape Breton (52,000) and Bay of Fundy and Annapolis Valley region (35,000).

Through June 2017, non-resident, overnight visitation to Nova Scotia is up eight per cent compared with 2016. Visitation by road is up seven per cent and air visitation is up nine per cent.

Most of the increase in visitation is from Canada, specifically Atlantic Canada (up 26,000), followed by Ontario (up 25,000). Visitors from the United States increased by 6,000, while visitation from overseas markets increased by 1,000.

Through June 2017, 1,090,000 licensed room nights were sold in Nova Scotia, up two per cent compared the same period in 2016. The occupancy rate, increased by three percentage points to 47 per cent.

The preliminary estimate of tourism revenues for the year so far is $972 million, compared with $929 million in 2016.