The latest tourism indicators show that year-to-date numbers are similar to last year, says Minister of Tourism and Culture Robert Henderson.

“Although the Fall Flavours Festival and the International Shellfish Festival saw record attendance, overnight stays in September were approximately five per cent lower than last September,” said Minister Henderson. “But thanks to strong numbers over the summer, we are still tracking to be on par with last season.”

Year-to-date indicators show that, in 2012, airport traffic is up 5.9 per cent, ferry traffic is up 2.4 per cent, campgrounds are up 4.3 per cent, and golf non-member rounds are up 4.3 per cent. At the same time, bridge traffic is down 0.2 per cent, room nights sold are down 1.6 per cent, and overnight stays are down 0.2 per cent.

The decline in overnight stays in September can be attributed to decreases in the Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario markets. The Quebec market posted its ninth consecutive monthly increase in overnight stays.

Some of the September decrease may be attributable to weather. Last September was warm and dry, while record rainfall was recorded this September. That had an impact on campgrounds, which saw a decrease of three per cent compared to September 2011.

“The good news is we haven’t continued the declines seen last season,” said John-Anthony Langdale, Chair of the Tourism Advisory Council. “Tourism is an incredibly competitive industry. Department staff and their industry partners have worked very hard to rebound from the decrease in numbers we saw last year. And while we haven’t gained back what we lost, we managed to hold our own. I’m optimistic we will see improved numbers in 2013 as we build toward the 2014 celebrations.”

The full list of September tourism indicators can be viewed at www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/current_tourism.pdf .