Little change in tourism numbers

The number of visitors in Liverpool is comparable to last season according to several local museums and the tourist bureau.

Ann Langille, manager of the Liverpool Visitor Information Centre estimates her count was only down by about 50 from 2008.

Last year was a slow year, she added, because of several factors: the economy, the price of fuel, passport legislation, and an election.

This is Langille’s 13th season in the business and she says 2008 was the first that she really noticed a difference in who was traveling. “American travelers are down substantially but visits from Western Canada are up,” she said. “There are also more Europeans every year, especially from Switzerland and Germany. They really like our coastline.”

Eco-tourism, historic sites, and adventure packages remain equally appealing. “Tourists want that Nova Scotia experience: music, hospitality, food… they are pleasantly surprised to see how many museums and how many things there are to do. “A popular comment is ‘this is so quaint. Nobody told us there was this much to do’,” she said.

Langille is also manager for the Fort Point Lighthouse and says that site always tends to have good numbers. “Lighthouses are iconic in Nova Scotia and this is one of the few that you can get inside,” she said.

The Liverpool Visitor Information Centre has averaged between 9,000 to 11,000 visitors annually in the last two years. Five years ago that number was approximately 18,000. Will it ever climb back to that number? “I think it will. I’m the eternal optimist,” said Langille.

At the Rossignol Cultural Centre, general manager Tammy Theriau says they are right about on par with last year’s figures. “July and August were up slightly, September was way down,” said Theriau.

In May and June the centre had a number of school trip visits from Pubnico to Halifax. “More than ever before,” said Theriau.

She says she noticed more Nova Scotian tourists and many people told her they were vacationing in their own province this year.

Theriau also noticed that many visitors were frugal with their vacation dollars.

The outhouse museum remains a favorite part of the complex. The centre closes on Oct. 15.

Queens County Museum had a “terrific season” according to director Linda Rafuse, due in great part to the new ghost exhibit in the Perkins House.

In 2008, the Queens County Museum had 2,500 visitors and Perkins House had 1,300. In 2009, the museum had 3,500 and the house had 2,500. That corresponds to a 40 per cent increase for the former and a 90 per cent increase for the latter.