The number of travellers visiting Nova Scotia continues to grow. According to figures released today, December 20, Nova Scotia welcomed an additional 14,000 non-resident visitors in October 2017, an increase of eight per cent from October 2016. Visitation by air increased by 14 per cent, and visitation by road increased by four per cent.
In October 2017, licensed room nights sold of 260,000 increased by eight per cent from the same period in 2016. The occupancy rate increased by five percentage points to 62 percent.
The high-speed CAT ferry, which runs between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, continues to make a significant contribution to the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores region. From June to September 2017, room nights sold in this region increased by 53 per cent compared with the same period in 2013, when the ferry was not running.
Year-to-date October 2017, non-resident overnight visitation to Nova Scotia is up by nine per cent compared with 2016. The largest increases in visitation during this period came from Quebec (up 22%), Western Canada (up 19%), and Ontario (up 17%). Visitation from the United States increased by nine per cent, and visitation from overseas increased by 11 per cent.
Year-to-date, licensed room nights sold in Nova Scotia of 2,461,000 are up two per cent compared with the same period in 2016. The occupancy rate increased by three percentage points to 57 per cent.
The preliminary estimate of tourism revenues for year-to-date October 2017 is $2.4 billion, compared with $2.2 billion in 2016.
Click here to view October 2017’s detailed tourism performance results.