Increasing domestic travel to Halifax driving up flight, hotel prices
Tourism expert says city 'might be one of the hottest destinations in all of Canada this summer'
Higher summer travel costs haven't hampered domestic air travel to Halifax, according to a tourism expert and a major travel group.
Amra Durakovic, the head of public relations and communications at Flight Centre Travel Group Canada, said they have seen huge demand for domestic travel to Halifax in recent months.
Some of the increased tourism volume to Halifax is due to changing travel patterns for Canadians, she said, with fewer bookings to the United States, something that is unusual for the summer. As well, airlines have been offering more direct flights to Halifax from other Canadian cities, said Durakovic.
"Typically, the East Coast is known to be the more affordable place to travel to. I think that's why suddenly, Canadians decided, 'We're going to go to the East Coast' at the same time," she said.
"But when we all decide to do that, that's when we drive up demand. When we drive up demand, that means there are less options, which means the prices are higher."
Wayne Smith, a professor of hospitality and tourism at Toronto Metropolitan University, said Halifax "might be one of the hottest destinations in all of Canada this summer."
Like Durakovic, Smith said Canadians are making different decisions this summer when it comes to their vacation locales, due in part to the ongoing buy-Canadian movement and a boycott of all things American.
"We're seeing that a lot of people who would have gone to Maine and Vermont and stuff like that are going to the Maritimes," Smith said.
Halifax is a draw for Canadian travellers since it's the "ultimate safe destination in Canada," he said, though it's not the only place in the country seeing higher travel costs this season.
"Prices have been aggressive across Canada, particularly for the hotels and for the airlines," he said.
Last-minute bookings raise costs
Durakovic said late bookings are also playing a role in the higher prices.
She gave an example of a family of three in Toronto trying to book a four-night stay in Halifax this month about a week out from their desired departure date. They wanted to include premium airfare seating as well, so they were looking at a cost of around $6,000.
"High seasonal demand, limited availability," Durakovic said. "Everything will be a little bit more expensive, and travelling within Canada has long carried that sort of premium price tag."
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