More people have visited provincial museums in Nova Scotia compared to last year. According to Nova Scotia Museum numbers viewed by CTV News Atlantic, attendance at the 16 current provincial museums has jumped eight per cent, totalling over 259,000 people walking through the doors between April and July. The province says those numbers are estimates, and final visitor counts aren’t available from all sites just yet. There was an even bigger spike, reported at 50 per cent, for American tourists, while cruise ship traffic was up by 70 per cent. Nova Scotian visitors dipped by 10 per cent. At the Museum of Natural History, overall attendance is up 11 per cent this year. Visitor numbers have increased since the pandemic. The dinosaur exhibit, which ends Monday, is believed to be a big driver behind that boost. Unlike more rural spots, that museum usually relies on support from Haligonians or people from other parts of Nova Scotia. “I’m just from Antigonish, some of my grandkids are from New Glasgow,” says Arminta Mahoney. “We had planned to come out, and so we just made a little day trip of it.” But this year, there’s broader interest. “We’re seeing double-digit growth outside of Nova Scotia,” says Jeff Gray, manager at the Museum of Natural History. “That’s for the rest of Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario. “We’re seeing in the upwards of 30 and 40 per cent from western Canada and from the United States, as well as in the 30 per cents from international visitors.” While Gray says visitor numbers have been increasing since the pandemic, it’s simply a matter of more people being in the area. “I think, anecdotally, there’s more people visiting here than we have seen in past years, and I think we’re just sort of a result of there being more tourists around and more people being around.” While the Museum of Natural History’s numbers differ from the provincial numbers, the overall boost in the number of people walking through the doors is good news, he says. “I think that with visitation being up, it’s a positive for our museum, and I think it’s a positive for the sector across the board,” Gray says. “I think that people are interested in getting out and having great experiences.” While museums came into the spotlight with cuts from the recent provincial budget, it’s not clear what visitation is like for local or community museums this year. The Association of Nova Scotia Museums will be trying to crunch those numbers soon. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
