Today, the Province of Nova Scotia announced it is encouraging organizers to consider postponing or cancelling events with gatherings of over 150 people.
March 13, 2020 – Halifax, Nova Scotia: Today, the Province of Nova Scotia announced it is encouraging organizers to consider postponing or cancelling events with gatherings of over 150 people. This measure is part of a response to a public health effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and similar to measures taken by other jurisdictions. Currently, there are no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Nova Scotia.
“Events, meetings and conventions are important to Halifax’s economy with the direct economic impact for upcoming major events and conferences estimated at $56.2 million for the 2020 season,” said Ross Jefferson, President and CEO. “While this is an extremely difficult time for the tourism sector, the health and well-being of our community, guests and those who work in the industry are paramount. We will work tirelessly to help event organizers who are looking to reschedule their event and look forward to welcoming them back to the Halifax region.”
For the remainder of 2020, there are 91 major events and conferences expected for in the Halifax Regional Municipality scheduled with support from Discover Halifax. Of these major events, 23 were to be hosted at the Halifax Convention Centre and 68 in other venues and properties, including conference hotels. The non-profit destination marketing organization is reaching out to clients to assist them in any plans to reschedule upcoming events for the Halifax region.
Discover Halifax has posted more information regarding novel coronavirus on its website: https://discoverhalifaxns.com/covid-19/.
Quick Facts:
- There were 91 upcoming events with an expected attendance of 41,005 people scheduled through Discover Halifax for the upcoming year.
- Over 31,000 attendees would be out-of-province travellers.
- This represents over 74,000 overnight stays with an expected direct economic impact of $56.2 million in 2020.
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About Discover Halifax
Discover Halifax is 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 over $1 billion. Halifax alone represents over 54% of all visitation to Nova Scotia, and 34,000 people are employed in the tourism industry.
Media Contact:
Monica MacLean, Communications Director
902-401-2301