Nova Scotia’s tourism industry had its best year in history in 2017 and its fourth consecutive year of growth.
In all, a record 2.4 million visitors came to the Atlantic Canada province last year and tourism revenue is estimated at CAD$2.7 billion.
“I want to congratulate the industry on an amazing year,” said Geoff MacLellan, Nova Scotia minister of business.
“A strong tourism industry is important to Nova Scotia’s economy.
“The more visitors we welcome, the more we expose the world to our province and all it has to offer.
“This leads to more business opportunities and jobs for Nova Scotians, more restaurants and shops, and more vibrant communities for all of us to enjoy.”
For comparison, 2017 saw about 195,000 more visitors than 2016 – an increase of nine per cent.
Tourism revenue increased by over CAD$100 million – seven per cent more than the year before.
“There were a lot of factors that made 2017 a strong year for tourism, but these results are not by chance,” said Tourism Nova Scotia chief executive, Michele Saran.
“Our industry is working hard, and we’re working collaboratively to create effective marketing campaigns and compelling experiences that will inspire people to choose Nova Scotia.”
The UK is Nova Scotia’s largest overseas source market and benefits from direct flight connectivity in just six hours between London Heathrow and Halifax, and Glasgow and Halifax.
From April this year, access to the provincial capital will strengthen further when WestJet introduce a low-cost direct service from London Gatwick.
Nova Scotia attracts a broad demographic of UK visitor, through its beautiful scenery, superb wildlife-watching, hiking and cycling offering and also thanks to its great museums, incredible seafood, wineries and burgeoning events calendar.