N.S. tourism operators hopeful COVID-19 restrictions will soon ease as summer visitors begin arriving
Tourism operators in Nova Scotia are feeling encouraged, as more visitors continue to arrive.
However, those in the industry are calling on the province to move up their reopening plan to meet the tourism demand.
Terri Gaglardi was one of hundreds visiting the Halifax waterfront on Tuesday. Gaglardi travelled from Calgary to Prince Edward Island, and eventually made his way to the city.
"Right now, we're just looking for a nice waterfront patio to go to," said Gaglardi, an Alberta resident.
Low COVID-19 numbers and fresh Maritime air are playing a large role in the increase in tourists.
“It’s so great, we’re just loving it," said Gaglardi. "It’s been really great to be able to come to the east coast and have a little more freedom."
Tourism operators say they are happy with the number of visitors they are seeing right now.
“We’re actually sold out now for most tours, for a week in advance,” says Denis Campbell, a tour operator in Halifax.
But Campbell says things could be even better if Nova Scotia's COVID-19 restrictions were in line with the other Maritime provinces.
He points out that the Harbour Queen – a Mississippi-style sternwheeler used for tours in the Halifax harbour – has a capacity of about 200, however restrictions limit their passenger numbers to 50.
“It’s very frustrating when our neighbouring provinces around us have eased those restrictions and they are seemingly doing fine and we’re just a little frustrated that we can’t do that here in Nova Scotia,” he says
For some visitors, just being back home is enough. Jenny Gritke is from Nova Scotia. She’s visiting home for the first time in almost two years.
“For anyone who grew up in the Maritimes and moved away, I think they know how much it means to come back, how special this place is. It’s just a different feeling when you’re here,” said Gritke.
As thousands of others come to Nova Scotia, some in the tourism industry say the current restrictions mean those visitors are taking millions in unspent dollars with them when they go back home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.