Nova Scotia's tourism industry began to rebound in July and August as border restrictions eased and people grew more comfortable travelling.

While visitation and accommodation bookings continue to be well below pre-pandemic levels, the industry is showing strong signs of recovery. Accommodation operators report 513,000 room nights sold in July and August, an increase of 82 per cent compared with the same months in 2020. During July and August, Nova Scotia welcomed 364,800 visitors. 

"Things are starting to improve for tourism and I feel positive about the industry's future," said Pat Dunn, Minister of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage. "Tourism is vital to our economy and communities in every region of this province. Now more than ever we need to work with businesses and organizations to develop and showcase our unique cultures, events, activities and attractions to support a strong recovery."

While visitors from Atlantic Canada continue to make up most of the visitors to the province (52 per cent), national and international visitors have begun to return with 45 per cent of visitors arriving from other regions of Canada, and three per cent arriving from the United States and overseas in July and August.

Quotes:

"We are encouraged by the momentum in July and August and are hearing optimism from operators across Nova Scotia. However, Nova Scotia's tourism industry lost $1.6 billion in 2020 and it will be a long road to full recovery. We have an incredible opportunity for a reset as we emerge in a post-COVID era and are pleased with the trends we are seeing and government's strong support and commitment to rebuilding a year-round tourism economy." 
     - Darlene Grant Fiander, President, Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia

Quick Facts:

- Nova Scotia welcomed 232,000 non-resident visitors in August 2021, an increase of 124 per cent compared with August 2020
- 52,500 visitors arrived by air in August, more than double the total in the first seven months of the year and an increase of 393 per cent compared with August 2020
- there were 180,000 visitors by road in August, an increase of 93 per cent compared to August 2020 
- a preliminary estimate for 2020 tourism revenues is $1 billion, a decrease of $1.6 billion compared with 2019
- the Minister's mandate letter commits to working with local leaders to boost homegrown tourism and leverage opportunities to highlight Nova Scotia's attractiveness as a place to live and visit

Additional Resources: 

- key tourism performance indicators: https://tourismns.ca/key-tourism-performance-indicators 
- visitors to Nova Scotia by origin:  https://tourismns.ca/visitation-statistics 
- Mandate letter of the Minister of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage: https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/letters-2021/ministerial-mandate-letter-2021-CCTH-ANSA-OEA-VS.pdf

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Media Contact: Afton Doubleday
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                         Email: Afton.Doubleday@novascotia.ca