Long weekend kicks off Maritime tourism season

The long May weekend is a traditional kickoff for seasonal tourism operators around the Maritimes, and there’s already early signs of a busy summer ahead.

The Fundy Trail Parkway officially opened on Friday and is recording a 46 per cent increase in visitor numbers within its first two days when compared to the same period last year.

Nancy Lockerbie, Fundy Trail Parkway general manager, says the first people through its gates on Friday was a couple from the U.S. state of Maryland.

"So it was wonderful to see travel resume from outside of New Brunswick," says Lockerbie.

The parkway recorded impressive visitor numbers throughout the first two years of the pandemic thanks largely to local traffic. Visitor numbers on the parkway in 2021 were up about 35 per cent over pre-pandemic figures.

In early May, New Brunswick’s Department of Tourism and Parks reported a three per cent increase in its campground occupancy rate at provincial parks compared to the same time last year, noting 2021 was a record year

Other local attractions opening this weekend include the Hopewell Rocks in Hopewell Cape, N.B., Kingsbrae Garden in St. Andrews, N.B., and Ministers Island near St. Andrews, N.B., Several seasonal tourism information centres across the Maritimes also open this long weekend.

In the past several years, a growing number of tourist attractions have scheduled seasonal openings to coincide with the school year ending.

Lockerbie says May’s long weekend provides an opportunity to gear up for the upcoming peak season.

"Friday is usually the 'test' day and we work all our cobwebs out," she says.