The Province has made some difficult decisions to ensure government spending is as effective and efficient as possible, while still supporting sustainable tourism growth. 

As of February 19, the provincial visitor information centres (VICs) at the Halifax Airport, Peggy’s Cove, Port Hastings and Yarmouth are permanently closed. The Amherst Visitor Information Centre will transition to seasonal operations and will be closed until spring 2026. 

The provincial VIC model was intended to help travellers plan and book itineraries for trips across Nova Scotia. This approach no longer aligns with traveller behaviour, as they now do the majority of trip planning online. Community VICs are a more effective way to provide local visitor information and encourage spending in communities, in line with the kind of support travellers are looking for while they are here. 

The Province offers information to travellers through NovaScotia.com and the provincial contact centre. We also provide support for more than 40 community VICs throughout the province.

In addition, Tourism Nova Scotia is ending traveller counts at the Amherst border with New Brunswick and at the Halifax International Airport. This method of collecting visitor data is no longer the most reliable or efficient way to gather information. We are developing a new approach to reporting tourism statistics that will be rolled out in 2026. 

We did not make these decisions lightly. We understand that this will mean significant change and that can be very difficult. 

Growing tourism remains a priority and we are focusing efforts where we can make the most impact. We will continue to work with businesses and communities to attract visitors and encourage tourism spending across the province and provide meaningful information about the vitality of the tourism industry.