Mayor Mike Savage kicked off Tourism Week in Halifax with compliments to the industry and a welcome message to the world.
HALIFAX, NS – Mayor Mike Savage kicked off Tourism Week in Halifax with compliments to the industry and a welcome message to the world.
“My appreciation goes out to the tourism industry providers of the Halifax region who have helped showcase our exciting, growing and culturally rich city to the world,” said Mayor Savage.
Tourism in Halifax has been rising steadily for the past six years with overnight visitation to paid accommodations up 35%. In 2018, TripAdvisor announced Halifax was recognized as one of the Top 10 Global Destinations on the Rise, a huge honour based on positive destination feedback and interest from visitors and the TripAdvisor online community.
“I would like to express a warm thank you to everyone who is working to grow tourism and the local economy,” continued Mayor Savage. “It’s the spirit of Halifax and the people that live here that makes this city such a great place to live, work and visit.”
The tourism industry is a vitally important economic generator for Halifax. With direct spending reaching $1 billion per year in Halifax, the industry generates $120 million annually in provincial sales tax revenue and an estimated $45.2 million annually in municipal tax revenue from hotel and tourism properties. More than 4,000 businesses operate in the Halifax region tourism sector with employment reaching over 23,000, according to the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. The combined business and leisure travel markets account for 5.3 million overnight stays in the city.
The Mayor acknowledged the partners working to improve tourism for the region including Discover Halifax, the Halifax Regional Municipality, The Hotel Association of Nova Scotia, Events East, Tourism Nova Scotia and a variety of community organizations working to help increase tourism.
“Working together we present a full picture of this wonderful destination we are fortunate to share with visitors from around the globe,” said Mayor Savage.
Ross Jefferson, President & CEO of Discover Halifax added, “there is so much to see and do here in our region and we know that visitors rate their experiences on average higher than our competing destinations. From Hubbards to Ecum Secum, our region is host to a mix of experiences from pristine coastal lands to an active urban center. Halifax is also the festivals and events capital in Eastern Canada with hundreds of events scheduled each year.”
Tourism Week in Canada is happening from May 26 to June 2. Discover Halifax encourages everyone to use hashtag #TourismWeek and #TourismMatters to support and show that tourism is an integral part of our economy.
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About Discover Halifax
Discover Halifax is a non-profit, membership-based marketing and sales organization in partnership with the Halifax regional government, the Hotel Association of Nova Scotia and participating industry members. Since its inception in 2002, Discover Halifax’s goal is to promote Halifax as a destination of choice for leisure and business travellers.
Halifax welcomes 5.3 million overnight stays each year, who spend $1 billion and represent over 54% of all visitation to Nova Scotia.
Media Contact
Katie Conklin
Marketing & Communications Manager
Phone: 902-442-9344
Email: kconklin@discoverhalifaxns.com
Website: www.discoverhalifaxns.com