The Province of Nova Scotia has announced an $18.2 million tourism restart package that will provide operators with new grant programs and marketing support as well as offering tourists more outdoor public attractions and free admission to provincial museums.

The restart package will help the tourism industry prepare to welcome visitors to Nova Scotia as part of the province's phased reopening strategy .

Grant Programs:

Tourism Accommodations Restart Customer Attraction Program: 

The Tourism Accommodations Restart Customer Attraction Program will help registered tourism accommodations develop and implement tailored marketing activities to encourage overnight stays. Eligible operators will receive a grant of $1,000 per room for the first 10 rooms and $500 per room for each additional room.  

Additional details:
-$10.5 million program administered by Tourism Nova Scotia
-eligible businesses must be registered as a host under the Tourist Accommodations Registration Act, offering at least one or more rooms to the travelling or vacationing public and be HST registered
-funds may be used for various advertising options, developing packages and incentives to encourage overnight stays, such as an overnight plus a bottle of local wine, or family weekend packages with free breakfasts, as well as customer-focused upgrades or amenities
-applications open June 23

Small Tourism Operators Restart Program:

The Small Tourism Operators Restart Program will offer a one-time grant payment of $5,000 to help tourism businesses that were affected by COVID-19 restrictions but were not eligible for earlier provincial programs. The grant will help operators with advertising and other restart expenses such as purchasing personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies. 

Additional details:
-$2 million program administered by Tourism Nova Scotia
-eligible businesses include tour operators, scenic and sightseeing transportation operators, outdoor adventure operators and outfitters, businesses that operate nature parks and zoos, amusement or theme parks, recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds and travel agencies
-eligible operators must be HST registered
-applications open June 23

Further information about the application process will be shared next week.

The province will invest an additional $3 million this year in Tourism Nova Scotia’s marketing campaigns, designed to attract visitors through television advertising, videos, radio spots, social media, billboards, display ads and search marketing tactics. 

Investments will also be made to attract the public to communities across the province. Visitors will enjoy free admission to the 28 sites included in the Nova Scotia Museum system and the two sites of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in July and August. The province will also work with community organizations to offer outdoor public events that feature local artists and diverse cultural activities.