Halifax airport investment could take off, says tourism head
The head of the Tourism Industry Association Of Nova Scotia says the traditional family road trip is a thing of the past and the province needs to rethink its approach to attracting visitors.
Glen Squires says more investment in Halifax's Stanfield Airport will go a long way in helping the province's tourism industry. He points to a recent study by the airport that found a $3 million investment would lead to $428 million in business over ten years.
"If we think about it in the context of Cape Breton, if we have those flights coming into Halifax it's reasonable to think that there are going to be more flights put on to the Sydney area plus people are going to rent cars," he said.
Squires said air travellers spend an average of 40 per cent more time at their destination than those who travel by car.
But it's not just the Stanfield Airport that needs more investment, according to Squires. He says festivals and events need to be created to draw people towards the beginning and the end of the tourism season.
The tourism association head hopes to develop events that are targeted at visitors from New England, the Ohio Valley, Ontario and Quebec.
"If you think about things like Celtic Colours, if we were able to bring substantial people across for that kind of event. We have things like the Wharf Rat Rally in Digby, that brings in 40,000 people," he said.
"So if we were developing festivals and events at both ends of the season that were specifically targeted at groups ...those are the sorts of things that we have to do because just putting a service in and then expecting that people are going to come and fill it during the entire period when it's available is probably something that's not going to happen."
