Nova Scotia welcomed 46,000 more non-resident overnight visitors in August 2017 than in August 2016, an increase of 11 per cent, according to monthly statistics released Oct. 12 by Tourism Nova Scotia.
"Our August was wonderful, the best the Pictou Lodge has seen in its 93 years of business," said Wes Surrett, general manager of the lodge. "We ran at capacity for three weeks in a row."
Of the 46,000 additional visitors, Ontario and Quebec contributed 18,000 and 12,000 visitors respectively, showing strong growth in visitation from Tourism Nova Scotia's target Canadian markets. August also saw growth in visits by air (up five per cent) and road (up 14 per cent) compared to August last year.
"There are many factors that contribute to a successful tourism season, such as the value of the dollar and price of gas," said Michele Saran, CEO, Tourism Nova Scotia. "Marketing is especially important because it builds awareness of things to see and do in a travel destination."
Up to and including August, non-resident overnight visitation to Nova Scotia is up by nine per cent compared with 2016. Ontario leads all markets in visitation growth, contributing 64,000 of the 141,000 additional visitors to Nova Scotia. Visitation has also increased by road (up eight per cent) and air (up 11 per cent).
In August 2017, 390,000 licensed room nights were sold, an increase of one per cent from the same period in 2016. The occupancy rate increased by two percentage points to 72 per cent.
Up to and including August, 1,873,000 licensed room nights were sold in Nova Scotia, up two per cent compared with the same period in 2016. The occupancy rate increased by three percentage points to 54 per cent.
The preliminary estimate of tourism revenues for year-to-date August 2017 is $1.8 billion, compared with $1.7 billion in 2016.
