July = Tourism Increase in Nova Scotia
Although it is just a 1% increase Nova Scotia shows signs of a tourism recovery in many areas especially those coming here in vehicles. The two huge concerts (McCartney and Kiss) plus Tall Ships had a lot to do with this but after suffering losses for the past few years this is good news.
From January to July the province saw and estimated 1,114,100 visitors, 329,000 of them in July alone. Now, this is not a time to rejoice but to go through the numbers:
1. Wheeled travelers: Up 9% (25% increase in July alone)
2. Air travelers: Down 15% (However, there was a 14% increase in July)
3. Room nights: Up 1% from last July
4. Canadian Visitors from other provinces: 58%
5. American tourists: 8%
6. European and overseas visitors: 1%
The numbers add up to one thing we already know: Nova Scotia tourism has been shifting from a foreign compliment to a domestic one. In 1999, American license plates were almost as common as the familiar sailboat ones from Nov Scotia and now you’d be hard-pressed to find one in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
Of course, there are two main reason for this:
1. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative: This is the creation of the Bush administration. However many Americans still believe that terrorists stream across the border from Canada and so they have, in effect, “caged” their own people by putting restrictions on re-entering the U.S.
2. The Strong Canadian Dollar: In 1999, the Canadian dollar was below 70 cents U.S. Americans not only traveled here but bought vacation homes and made Nova Scotia a home-base for their vacations. Not only that, recreational vehicles roamed the province from Cape Breton to Yarmouth.
The Americans may not come back in the big numbers of the past but by putting on the big events like the concerts, Tall Ships and, in August, The ICF World Canoe Championships Nova Scotia tourism operators may bounce back to the numbers they once enjoyed.
(Kat Gurholt photo)
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