Visitor Information Centres Will Remain Open

Business Minister Mark Furey confirmed today, Feb. 25, that Nova Scotia's six provincial visitor information centres will remain open. They will continue to be operated and administered by the province.

Over the past year, Tourism Nova Scotia consulted with industry and communities about its programs and services, including other ways to operate provincial visitor information centres.

"These centres are important provincial assets that add value to the tourism experience in Nova Scotia and to the communities where they operate," said Business Minister Mark Furey. "As technology advances tourism is changing rapidly, and we need to keep up with the pace of change. That's why we took the time to make an informed decision about the role the centres will play in growing this industry."

While activity at the centres has decreased over the last decade as tourists get more information online, they continue to play a role in local tourism. The private sector-led Tourism Nova Scotia has a goal to attract more first time visitors to Nova Scotia and double tourism revenues to $4-billion by 2024. Tourism Nova Scotia acknowledges the importance of frontline visitor information services to help meet that goal.

Tourism Nova Scotia will also continue to offer travel planning assistance 24 hours a day on novascotia.com and 365 days a year through the Tourism Contact Centre. In addition to the six provincial visitor information centres, there are more than 50 locally-run centres across the province.