Long way to go for N.S. tourism

Tourism in Nova Scotia continued to be a disaster in July, the latest month for which statistics are available.

Statistics Canada's Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker shows international tourism activity in the province was 92 per cent below July 2019 levels, the largest such decline in the country.

Overall, activity was 52 per cent below July 2019 levels, the relatively better figures primarily driven by a recovery in domestic tourism activity. Though an improvement, it was still the second-largest decline in Canada.

Sharp increases in domestic tourism activity occurred in all provinces.

Overall tourism activity in Canada was down 41 per cent compared to July 2019. Saskatchewan and Newfoundland reported the smallest declines, while Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia had the largest.

Strong travel and activity restrictions at the start of the pandemic caused tourism activity to fall dramatically in all provinces.

There was a small recovery in the summer and fall of 2020, as domestic tourism started to grow again, but additional restrictions and travel limitations in the spring of 2021 drove tourism activity down again.

Easing of restrictions following growing vaccine coverage in the summer of 2021 saw a sharp rebound in tourism activity across all provinces, driven primarily by domestic tourism.

Cruise ships docked on a busy day in Halifax Harbour in 2019. Port of Halifax