Province reports excellent tourism season in 2010

01/12/2011

Good summer weather and increased interest in New Brunswick as a tourist destination resulted in a strong 2010 tourist season, said Tourism and Parks Minister Trevor Holder.

Visitors are looking for quality attractions, excellent service and experiences that are unique, said Holder. New Brunswick offers many unique experiences that showcase our natural experiences and cultural diversity. The services provided by the industry is second to none. We are confident that New Brunswick will continue to be an attractive tourism destination, and are committed to investments in our people and provincial offerings.

The Department of Tourism and Parks verifies the tourism information month-by-month and summarizes the data for the year. The following statistics represent figures running from Jan. 1 to Nov. 31:

Accommodation occupancy:

걶    1.49 million room nights sold (a one-per-cent increase from 2009)

Provincial park campground occupancy:

걶    83,008 campsite nights sold (a nine-per-cent increase from 2009)

Attraction visits:

걶    1.2 million visits (a three-per-cent increase from 2009)

United States resident border crossings:

걶    218,879 overnight trips by automobile (a 10-per-cent increase from 2009)

Airport passengers received:

걶    810,848 (a six-per-cent increase from 2009)

Saint John cruise passengers received:

걶    205,883 (a 10-per-cent increase from 2009)

We are encouraged to see the provincial cruise industry seeing year-after-year increases,갿 said Holder. 갾Although passengers disembarking in Saint John do not spend overnight in New Brunswick, they do spend on average $80 per person, and this is revenue that was not coming into the province before.

In 1989, because of an unexpected storm, a ship carrying 550 passengers was re-routed to Saint John. Since then, the port has been welcoming cruise ships and seeing increases in bookings each year. On Oct. 6, Saint John welcomed its 1.5 millionth cruise visitor.

I am pleased to see the cruise industry making great strides, said Holder. This is good news for the Port City and the province. We know that tourism is responsible for an estimated $1 billion in revenue annually and, clearly, the cruising industry is experiencing growth each year.갿

The 2010-13 Provincial Tourism Strategy identifies the need for the Department of Tourism and Parks to make its marketing as effective and cost-efficient as possible to respond to changing tourism trends and habits among tourists. As part of this, the department is using social media and investing in innovative marketing tools.

(source: www.gnb.ca - News Release)