P.E.I. exhibition organizers say 2024 could be 'a banner year' for attendance
Exhibitions and festivals are a draw for tourists looking for the Island experience
With Islanders and tourists alike flocking to Old Home Week in Charlottetown over the past eight days, P.E.I. exhibition officials say this year's attendance numbers for events across the province may reach an all-time high.
"2024 looks like it's going to be a banner year," said Gary MacKay, president of the P.E.I. Association of Exhibitions and Festivals.
One of the things driving attendance may be the fact that people are looking for events and activities closer to home, MacKay said. He thinks the high cost of living has restricted people's travel budgets, so they are participating in more local activities rather than taking a flight somewhere.
The quality of exhibitions and their signature events may also play a role in getting people to come back every year.
MacKay pointed to the Tyne Valley Oyster Festival shucking competition and the truck and trailer pull championships at the Crapaud Exhibition as events that consistently draw big crowds.
Trevor McDonald, who is on the board of directors of the Old Home Week Exhibition, said he has seen a steady stream of visitors coming through the gates so far this year. He said he thinks the festival is continuing to bounce back after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It seems to have been busy," he said. "There's people around, there's people looking, people enjoying themselves."
Other Island exhibitions have also been a big draw for tourists this year.
Marlene Campbell, Summerside's cultural programming co-ordinator, said this year's edition of the city's Lobster Carnival brought in people from around the globe — from England to France to South Korea.
Campbell said preliminary attendance numbers show over 90 per cent of the people who attended the carnival's two lobster suppers this year were tourists. They come for the "unique Island experience," she believes.
"When people are traveling, they are looking to see how the local population lives and celebrates," she said. "There is great potential to keep growing that market."
Canada's tourism numbers have been continuing to grow since COVID-19 stunted travel starting in 2020, said Beth Potter, president of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
Recent numbers from Statistics Canada show international arrivals to Canada in July were up 6.5 per cent compared to the same month in 2023.
There is also a "strong" number of Canadians traveling within their own country, Potter said.
Exhibitions aside, though, Island tourism officials have said that overall visitor numbers might be a bit lower in some areas this summer. They blame the higher cost of living for that.
Potter noted the important role exhibitions and festivals like the ones in P.E.I. play in the tourism industry. She said they help to "animate" a destination and give people a reason to visit.
"They are another way for us as a community and as a country to celebrate our own culture and our heritage," she said.
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With files from Laura Meader