Number of visitors rose in July

An extraordinary year for Cape Breton tourism continued in July, with increases in both occupancy rate and rooms nights sold at accommodations over the same month last year.

Tourism Nova Scotia recently released the figures for July. Cape Breton had an occupancy rate of 78 per cent, up from five per cent during July 2016. The number of room nights sold in Cape Breton was up by seven per cent from the same period last year, and up 10 per cent in Cape Breton year-to-date.

Figures for June showed a 15 per cent increase in the number of room nights sold in Cape Breton over the same month a year earlier, with 84,000 room nights sold.

Tourism Nova Scotia also indicated that visitation at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site was up by 68 per cent in July, compared to the same month in 2016. Meanwhile, the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site saw a 32 per cent increase in July compared to the same period a year earlier.

Parks Canada officials have said they believe much of the increased traffic to national park sites this year is due to the Discovery Pass program, which allows for free admission to any national park site during Canada’s sesquicentennial year.

Numbers released by Tourism Nova Scotia have shown that visitation in Cape Breton has been on the rise for the past few years. The relatively strong Canadian dollar is likely also keeping many Canadians at home.