Initiative 17

Background

Prior to COVID-19, Halifax provided an attractive destination for tourists travelling between Europe and North America on WestJet Airlines with the innovative Stopover Pilot Program. Passengers were provided the rare opportunity to add a stopover to their itinerary (Halifax) for up to seven days with no extra flight costs before resuming travel to their next destination. The service, introduced in July 2019, was very successful and was just starting to grow in public awareness prior to COVID-19. The program was beneficial for Halifax and for other destinations in the Maritimes.

While the Stopover Program is on hiatus out of a public health necessity, Halifax must be prepared for reinstatement of competitive air offerings to attract people here. A stronger and more compelling Stopover Program will help the region and tourism industry recover. More specifically, it will help get people back to work and the airline industry restabilize in Atlantic Canada. It will reconnect the Maritimes to other international and national markets that we have lost access to, and let airlines know that it can resume business here again.