Visitor numbers significantly up at N.B. provincial parks, museum

It’s been a great first trip to the Maritimes for Susan and Gary Dittrich.

Visiting from Sherwood Park, AB, the tourists stopped by the Albert County Museum in Hopewell Cape, N.B., Thursday morning.

They’ve enjoyed the trip to the Picture Province and were particularly impressed with Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park.

“The rocks, going into the facility, I couldn’t believe how well maintained it was. And then when we got down to the ocean floor, it was magical,” said Susan.

When they return home, the Dittrichs vow to tell all their friends and family about how much they loved travelling in New Brunswick.

Visitor numbers are up at two provincial parks in the area:

Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park

• 2023: 179,899 visitors
• 2024: 198,701 visitors

Fundy Trail Provincial Park

• 2023: 50,657 visitors
• 2024: 78,894 visitors

The numbers are also up at the Albert County Museum, located just a few minutes from the rocks, but executive director Janet Clouston said the final tally is still being calculated.

“I know as of end of August we had surpassed our record attendance last year. We’re up by probably 30 per cent of what we did last year,” said Clouston. “It is significant.”

Wendy Johnston owns a potter studio and gift shop across from the museum.

She said she experienced a modest jump in business this summer and believes the post-pandemic tourism momentum is growing, but at a slow pace.

“It’s getting more normalized I think. People are coming in. Nobody’s afraid. It’s just kind of a little bit, you know, sluggish,” said Johnston.

Wendy Johnston owns a potter studio and gift shop in Hopewell Cape, N.B. (Source: Derek Haggett/CTV News Atlantic)

The over 55 per cent jump in visitors to the Fundy Trail Provincial Park surprised her a bit.

“Nobody knows about it. They don’t advertise it and it’s one of the most spectacular tourist destinations that New Brunswick has to offer,” said Johnston. “I tell people to go there and they don’t know where it is. So we’re missing a little promotion there.”

Val Streck was helping two German tourists at the Victory Stitches Quilt Shop at the Artisan Village in Hillsborough on Thursday.

The small business owner said the numbers there were actually down this summer because many tourists drive through Route 114 on bus tours meaning there’s no trickle down business for them.

Val Streck at her Victory Stitches Quilt Shop in Hillsborough, N.B. (Source: Derek Haggett/CTV News Atlantic)

“They don’t stop at small places. They stop at the rocks. They stop at the [Albert County] museum. They stop at certain places that are on their tour. So that’s a very large number of people coming down this road that will never be a customer to any of the small businesses here,” said Streck.

At the Albert County Museum, Clouston said the main reason for the jump in numbers was because families were coming to see Albert the Dinosaur exhibition, which is on loan from Resurgo Place in Moncton.

Albert County Museum executive director Janet Clouston and Albert the Albertosaurus in the background. (Source: Derek Haggett/CTV News Atlantic)

A fun and large marketing campaign has helped bring people to the museum.

“This has truly done it for us,” said Clouston

Albert the Albertosaurus will be on display until the end of October and Clouston said there are plenty of more events taking place at the museum this fall.

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