Another Strong Performance in 99

Recent statistics point to another year of growth for the tourism industry, with traffic, occupancy rates and information requests tracking ahead of 1998's billion-dollar performance.

"Yet again, our tourism industry is poised for record growth, and that will benefit all Nova Scotians," said Manning MacDonald, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. "It's a clear indication that our collective efforts to promote this most valuable industry are working."

Road traffic jumped 11 per cent in the first five months of 1999, compared with the same timeframe in 1998. In May, U.S. traffic climbed 38 per cent, while traffic from Ontario was up seven per cent compared with last May. And the number of recreational vehicles on the road increased by 21 per cent over May 1998.

The statistics appear in the June issue of Tourism Insights, a monthly publication produced by Economic Development and Tourism. In addition to counting the number of vehicles at entry points throughout the province, staff also gather information on the number of visitors who arrive by plane.

Between January and April, total air visits were up one per cent over the same period in 1998. U.S. travel was up nine per cent, but overseas travel was down 10 per cent. Increases were reported in January, February and March, while a decrease was reported in April.

Staff also receive and track monthly occupancy reports from operators. From January to May, operators reported a 10 per cent increase in room nights sold over 1998. May was particularly strong with an overall increase of 19 per cent over May of last year. Cape Breton and the South Shore are two areas of the province where decreases in room nights sold were reported between January and April. Last year's numbers were influenced by economic activity in the Strait area.

Other indicators show strong performance. For example, literature requests between January and May jumped an astounding 95 per cent over the same period last year.

Year-to-date website inquiries are also up significantly -- 113 per cent over 1998 inquiries.

The number of visitors seeking advice at provincial information centres between January and May also jumped 14 per cent over the same period last year. Year-to-date reservations through Nova Scotia's toll-free Check In service are up seven per cent over last year.

On the advertising side, enquiries from provincial marketing programs are showing phenomenal growth. Ad-generated inquiries from Quebec have more than tripled over last year. U.S. inquiry numbers have more than doubled. Inquiries from Atlantic Canada as a result of a regional campaign are up some 35 per cent. And in Ontario, inquiry numbers are up by some 60 per cent.

"We're attributing these phenomenal inquiry results to increased investment in advertising as well as new approaches to marketing, including more direct mail," said Doug Fawthrop, chair of the Nova Scotia Tourism Partnership Council and managing director of White Point Beach Resort. "We're also seeing strong economic conditions in all our target markets, with the low Canadian dollar also keeping Canadians travelling at home."

The Nova Scotia Tourism Partnership Council is a joint industry-government team that leads provincial marketing and product development initiatives. The council's 1999 marketing program aims for five per cent growth over last year's record-breaking $1.1-billion tourism performance. More than half of this billion-dollar revenue comes from outside the province, making tourism a significant export industry.

In all, tourism supports jobs for some 33,800 Nova Scotians with a payroll of about $430 million. Last year's revenues also added up to $105 million in provincial and municipal taxes.