Overnight stays at campgrounds and local accommodations are strong compared to June of last year according to tourism indicators released today, says Minister of Tourism and Culture Robert Henderson.

“The numbers we’re seeing in the June report are encouraging, but it’s still a little early to draw any conclusions about the relative success of the tourism season,” said Minister Henderson. “However, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic; we saw a 32 percent increase in site nights sold at local campgrounds compared to June of last year and a seven percent increase in total room nights sold. Combined, that represents a 16 percent increase in overnight stays compared to June 2012. Those numbers are encouraging, but they are from early in the season. The real story will emerge once we dig into the July and August numbers later this year.”

On the flip side, traffic at the Confederation Bridge was down 11.6 percent compared to June of last year.

“That decrease is worth noting,” said Minister Henderson. “However, the key indicator of success in the tourism industry on Prince Edward Island is the number of overnight stays. Given that, we have reason to be optimistic about the 2013 season.”

“The increase in overnight stays for June, year-over-year, is very encouraging for the tourism industry,” said John-Anthony Langdale, Chair of the Tourism Advisory Council. “With the many events and activities planned for the rest of the season, we expect to see continued growth.”

Tourism is a vital industry in Prince Edward Island that provides over 7,000 full time equivalent jobs for Islanders. It accounts for approximately $380 million in economic activity each year and seven percent of GDP, the highest percentage of any Canadian province.

For the full June tourism indicators report, visit www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/current_tourism.pdf