August Tourism Stats Available

Nova Scotia welcomed three per cent fewer visitors from January to August this year compared to the same period in 2010.

International visitors to the province, including those from the United States, decreased two per cent year to date. This is comparable to the two per cent decrease in visitors to Canada in the same time period.

Other tourism indicators, such as air travel and cruise, have been consistently positive, for a mixed result for the season to date. Room nights sold in the province were on par with last year.

"While the weather has certainly had an impact on the season to date, indicators such as air travel, motorcoach and cruise passengers continue to show positive results," said Percy Paris, Minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism.

"I want to applaud our tourism industry members and operators, who are working hard to ensure that visitors to the province receive the top-notch service and experiences that keep visitors returning to Nova Scotia to continue to build our industry."

Year to date, air travel was up nine per cent compared to 2010, while road travel to the province decreased by seven per cent.

Motorcoach traffic continued to show gains, with a 23 per cent increase over the 2010 season.

Cruise ship passengers in Halifax showed a six per cent increase year to date over last year and Sydney was up 40 per cent.

Visits from the United States were down five per cent year to date. The national average is down two per cent for the same time period. American visits to Nova Scotia for the month of August were down by three per cent compared to 2010.

In August, visitors to Nova Scotia decreased by three per cent overall compared to last year. Air travel was up by seven per cent, while road travel decreased by eight per cent.

Domestic travel to the province was down three per cent year to date. Visits from Quebec increased by six per cent and visits from Western Canada increased by nine per cent. Visits from Ontario were down by four per cent, while visits from Atlantic Canada decreased by five per cent.

Total overseas visits were up ten per cent for the year. Results for Germany are up 48 per cent, while visits from the United Kingdom were down 18 per cent.

Tourism statistics vary across the province. Detailed results can be found at www.gov.ns.ca/econ/tourism/research/latest-activity-updates.asp.

Nova Scotia's comprehensive system for reporting monthly tourism statistics includes counting non-resident overnight visitors at entry points to the province and gathers the number of room nights sold from licensed accommodation operators.

Tourism is an important contributor to Nova Scotia's economy. In 2008, the industry directly employed more than 22,000 people and generated revenues of $1.82 billion.