By ANDY WALKER - OTTAWA
CHARLOTTETOWN : After a strong start for
the first quarter of the year, tourism on Prince Edward
Island has taken a downturn. The industry was optimistic heading into
the peak tourism season following a successful first quarter
that saw 4,600 more room nights in the accommodations sector
compared to the previous year; a 28 per cent hike in traffic
at the Charlottetown Airport and a five per cent increase in
traffic over Confederation Bridge.
The East Coast Music Awards, held in the Island capital in February, was viewed as the major factor. However, Gordon MacInnis said much of that optimism has now faded. Mr. MacInnis, who owns Cavendish Maples Cottages and is a past-president of the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I.., said one of the big factors has been the cold, wet weather that was the norm for most of June. "May started out pretty well, but after the Victoria Day weekend, five of the six weekends it was either raining or rain was in the forecast," he said. "That really cuts down the traffic, especially from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick."
While the Canada Day weekend was strong, due in large measure to the Festival of Lights in Charlottetown, he said the first two weeks of July were "soft" for many operators. "Pretty much everybody I talked to was down, some obviously more than others."
Mr. MacInnis said campgrounds were hit particularly hard since they are more weather sensitive. He added the weather is by no means the only factor; rising oil prices also deter long-distance travel and the high Canadian dollar has Americans thinking twice about heading north.
"I think there are still a lot of people paying last year's heating bills and their credit cards are maxed out. There is no use sugar-coating it because that is the reality."
However, he said there seems to be a promise of brighter days ahead. The long-time tourism operator said most people in the industry he has talked to over the past few days indicated they have strong bookings for the remainder of the month and into August.
"However, one month doesn't make a season," he said. "There isn't enough of a window to make up for the lost business."
Mr. MacInnis said he is also worried about recent media reports that one or more hurricanes could make their way here this fall. Memories of hurricane Juan, which hit Nova Scotia and P.E.I. in 2003, causing millions of dollars in damage, is still fresh in the minds of many Maritimers.
"Last September started out strong, but as soon as talk of possible hurricanes started, the cancellations started to come in," he said.