'Plan ahead': Travel industry shares advice before summer vacation

There’s a lot pent-up demand for travel and some Maritime hotels are campgrounds are filling up ahead of summer vacation.

Travel industry experts are urging Maritimers to book early, and plan ahead, before taking a vacation this summer.

“It’s going to be a busy season. A really good season for sure,” said Andrew McNair, CEO of Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick.

There’s a lot pent-up demand for travel and some hotels are campgrounds are filling up.

In some cases, prices are also on the rise. A room in downtown Charlottetown mid-July could cost $400.

Prices for the same weekend in Halifax aren’t as high, but recently they nearly were.

“I was looking the other weekend. I think Dal graduation was going on,” said Wes Surrett with Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia. “You couldn’t find a hotel for under, downtown hotel, for under $350.”

The Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia points out prices dipped during COVID-19, along with demand. Now hotels are searching for staff and offering to pay them more.

Then there’s inflation.

“The prices are going to go up because everything the hotel is buying is more expensive,” Surrett said, who estimated the average price of a hotel room in rural Nova Scotia to be about $200 a night.

Travel experts note affordable options are still an option. Their advice is to shop around and plan ahead.

“We got used to kind of being able to do things on a whim as Maritimers, but plan ahead a bit more,” said McNair.

“As soon as you have some dates in mind, even if those dates might change down the line, start booking where you can,” said Steve Olmstead, with CAA Atlantic.