August was another record month for tourism in Nova Scotia.
Nearly 400,000 non-resident overnight visitors came to the province, an increase of seven per cent compared to last August, according to figures released today, Oct. 11, by Tourism Nova Scotia.
Air visitation increased by 21 per cent, compared to August 2015, to 125,000, while visitors who travelled by road increased by two per cent to 273,000.
"We haven't seen an August like this in more than 15 years of tracking visitation," said Michele Saran, CEO, Tourism Nova Scotia. “These numbers confirm the positive stories we've been hearing from businesses right across the province."
Out of 331,000 Canadian visitors, the majority, 139,000, came from Atlantic Canada, followed by Ontario, 128,400, Western Canada, 38,500 and Quebec, 25,300.
About 51,800 visitors came from the United States, primarily New England, 16,100, followed by the south Atlantic, 9,600 and mid-Atlantic states, 9,400.
Visitation from overseas totalled 14,900 in August.
There were 372,000 room nights sold in August, an increase of four per cent compared to the same period in 2015. The occupancy rate increased from 65 per cent to 70 per cent.
Halifax sold the most room nights, 157,000, followed by Cape Breton, 86,000, and Bay of Fundy and Annapolis Valley, 52,000. Eastern Shore room nights increased by 11 per cent over August 2015 for a total of 4,000, while Yarmouth and Acadian Shores saw room nights increase by 10 per cent to 11,000. South Shore saw room nights increase by seven per cent to 33,000 and Northumberland Shore saw an increase of seven per cent to 29,000.
Tourism revenues for August 2016 are estimated at $406 million bringing year-to-date revenues to $1.7 billion. Based on year-to-date performance, tourism revenues for the year are expected to be about $2.6 billion, up from $2.5 billion in 2015.
Year-to-date August visitation is up eight per cent for a total of 1,553,000 non-resident overnight visitors. Year-to-date room nights sold are at 1,777,000, up three per cent from last year.