Tourism officials in all three Maritime provinces say the number of visitors is up significantly this summer. In some cases, it’s the best in decades.
Nova Scotia has seen the biggest increase. In June alone, 23,000 more tourists arrive, which is an increase of 11 per cent. For the fourth year running, Prince Edward Island broke its monthly record by welcoming 3,600 more than last year. And New Brunswick saw a five per cent hike in June, with 8,500 more visitors than the same period last year.
Tourist John Nissen from Connecticut says he understands why the Martime provinces are doing so well.
“I had a friend who was stationed up here for a while,” Nissen says. “He was with one of the U.S. government agencies and he said, 'Oh, you'll hate Halifax, it's so boring.' How could you get bored in a place like this? It's wonderful."
Even on the greyest of days, Nova Scotia’s Peggys Cove is still a big draw. Local restaurant and gift shop owner John Campbell says the strong tourism numbers have transitioned into strong sales.
"In the restaurant we keep customer counts. This is as good as it’s been since the late 90s,” says Campbell.
Tour boat captain Peter Richardson says campgrounds are also reaping the benefits.
"The campground here down in Indian Harbour, they haven't seen anything like this since the late 70s,” says Richardson.
July tourism numbers are expected to be released next week, and there’s every reason to believe they’ll be as good or better than the figures in June.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko.
