Tourism performance for the months of January and February were released today by Tourism PEI and the Tourism Advisory Council (TAC).
Tourism indicators are showing a strong start to the year with air passenger traffic up 26% and bridge traffic up 11% compared to this period last year. The Confederation Bridge hit record breaking traffic for the months of January and February and the trend is continuing for March. “We have not had traffic like this for the first quarter since the bridge was built,” stated Robbie Shaw, Co-Chair of TAC. “A major factor in this has been the good weather and the quality events taking place on the Island this winter. The tourism industry is certainly off to a great start.”
Accommodation occupancy is also telling a positive story with over an additional 3,600 room-nights sold already this year in comparison to 2005. Numerous types of accommodations including inns, cottages, B&B’s and hotel/motel’s are showing growth. “The first two months of 2006 were encouraging for the tourism industry and we're looking forward to the rest of the year,” noted Honourable Philip Brown, Minister of Tourism. “A number of well-attended sports activities, Jack Frost and the ECMA's all proved tremendously successful, providing a strong start. Although it's only early in the year, we're encouraged by the work of Tourism PEI and the Tourism Advisory Council and are hoping for continued growth.”
The Tourism Advisory Council unveiled the new marketing creative campaign and the 2006 Tourism Plan at the TIAPEI Tourism Conference on March 14. Details of the 2006 Tourism Plan and the 2006 Marketing Plan can be found online at www.gentleisland.com/plan, and tourism performance indicators can be downloaded at www.gov.pe.ca/tourism.