‘We are just starting our busiest season’: Cruise ship traffic helps Halifax businesses

After a satisfying summer tourism season, the Maritimes are eager to welcome more visitors this fall.

July and August according to experts tend to be the busiest travel season in Halifax and this summer was no different in fact even busier than previous.

“We were up a couple percent in June, we were up five percent in July, the numbers are still coming in for August, here in Halifax in particular we are having new hotels being built but we’ve had a shortage which has been a little bit of a constraint. We would love to welcome everyone but recognize we couldn’t this summer,” says Ross Jefferson, Discover Halifax President and CEO.

Cruise ship traffic has been strong this summer as well. The season starts in April and goes until November.

“We are just starting our busiest season September and October, with plenty of vessels and tourists which has been good for Halifax,” says Lori MacLean, Port of Halifax director of communications.

Maclean explains that they are expecting the number of vessels into Halifax this year to be slightly less than last, but they are comparable.

“This season there will be 187 vessels here in the port and we are estimating about 328 thousand passengers in total cruise guests,” adds MacLean.

Businesses like The Beer Garden along the boardwalk say this year has been quite busy for them. They attribute their success to the warm weather and cruise ship traffic.

“It’s extremely beneficial because we automatically see drive-in traffic the minute that we open the doors. As soon as they come off the ships they are looking for fun and local things to do,” says Kristen Young, The Beer Garden Venue Manager.

Young says the weather has been on their side and they have only had to close four times this summer due to rain.

“We are staying busier in the early days through the week that we would have had a little bit of a lull through lunches and evenings in previous seasons that we are staying consistently busy,” says Young.

Discover Halifax says tourism in Halifax has benefitted a bit from Canadian pride.

“That has risen in the last number of months and we think that that’s going to continue. We are really excited to see the Canadians coming and travelling and visiting us,” says Ross Jefferson, Discover Halifax President and CEO.

There have been a number of shows and markets along the Halifax waterfront this summer. This past weekend, The Health and Wellness show welcomed a number of vendors who were grateful for the traffic.

“Ships coming in and so many people travelling within Canada now, people coming up from the states, it’s such a great way to introduce countries and other provinces to what we have here locally in Nova Scotia,” says Heather Chapplain, Sacred Drift Owner and Founder.

Discover Halifax expects the tourism numbers to drop slightly heading into the fall, but still expects it will be busy.

“There will be a little bit less people visiting. I think that’s really a good thing because we have been at full capacity, having a bit more breathing room for people that want their space and not in the sweltering heat,” says Jefferson.

Many tourists prefer to travel during the fall season.

Ruth Henning is visiting from Chicago, the last time she was here was a year ago and she says she loves coming back to Halifax. This time they arrived on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

“We get off and we tour the whole city every time we come. This is a beautiful place to see,” says Henning.

Laurie Fiorilli was in Halifax today visiting from Edmonton and she says she wants to see it all, Peggy’s Cove, the Bluenose and the Bay of Fundy. She chose this time to travel because there weren’t any kids on her ship.

“We really wanted to see our own country so here we are and we get to see all of them and it’s awesome,” says Fiorilli.

Others like Henry Zavagano from Ontario were here to move his daughter into university so now he and his wife are enjoying what Halifax has to offer.

Now, MacLean says the cruise ship season will run later this year, with the last ship scheduled to arrive in Halifax on Nov. 19.

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