The study provides insights about:
- Canadian travel intentions and motivators over the next 12 months, especially in relation to the Atlantic provinces
- What experiences and activities are of most interest to Canadian travellers
- How appealing the Atlantic provinces are and how much knowledge Canadians have of this region as a travel destination
Among Canadians planning overnight trips, Nova Scotia has significant competition from other Canadian provinces, specifically, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta. Nova Scotia edges out the other Atlantic Provinces as a destination of choice.
From a provided list of reasons, the most common reasons for choosing to visit Nova Scotia include visiting family/friends or wanting a seaside vacation.
Notably, 15% of those planning a trip to/within Nova Scotia in the next 12 months indicate they have never made a pleasure trip to Nova Scotia before, suggesting there is strong potential for first-time visitation in 2022.
- From a list of options, one-third of those planning to visit Nova Scotia indicate their trip(s) will be for the purpose of experiencing nature, or to see famous and historical sites.
- Notably, only a small percentage of those planning to visit Nova Scotia select sitting/playing on the beach (11%). This is lower than the percentage of beach trips planned among visitors to PEI (19%) and New Brunswick (15%).
- 10% or fewer are planning to visit Nova Scotia primarily for city life, shopping, or outdoor adventure (with more popular outdoor-type trips being less specifically focused on adventure).
- Those planning to visit PEI are more likely to describe their trip(s) as a romantic getaway or an outdoor adventure trip, compared with those planning to visit Nova Scotia.
ACAT is a partnership of the federal government and the four Atlantic provinces, aimed at delivering collaborative tourism projects in visitor markets of common interest. To learn more about the attitudes and expectations of prospective Canadian visitors to Atlantic Canada in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, ACAT contracted Forum Research to carry out an online survey of Canadians who had either taken an overnight leisure trip somewhere in the past three years or planned to take one in the next 12 months. More than 4,000 respondents were surveyed in Atlantic Canada, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia, from March 29 to May 3. The results were weighted to ensure that the sample is representative of the provincial and national populations. This report includes highlights from the study compiled by Tourism Nova Scotia for our industry partners.
