P.E.I. food and beverage sales show small improvement
Tourists opting to prepare more meals themselves, says P.E.I. Restaurant Association
Restaurants and bars are off to a better start in 2017, but they are still not keeping pace with increased sales nationally.
Sales were up 2.9 per cent in the first five months of 2017, according to figures released Monday by Statistics Canada. Nationally, sales were up 4.4 per cent.
The tourism industry is expecting another record year in 2017, but the record set in 2016 did not provide a huge boost in food service.
Carl Nicholson, president of the P.E.I. Restaurant Association and general manager of New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, said the difference is in the demographic.
He said more tourists are preparing their own meals and only going out on special occasions.
Overnight stays much higher than sales
Figures from Statistics Canada add weight to Nicholson's assessment. Total overnight stays on the Island were up 10.2 per cent in 2016, according to provincial reporting, but food service and drinking places sales rose only 1.9 per cent.
Part of this, Nicholson estimates, has to do with the change in how people are spending their money while on vacation.
Nicholson said tourists are booking accommodations that "have the ability for them to prepare their own meals in house" and that visitors are more conscious about fixing their meals to their budget.
"We're seeing a lot of people that are coming with extended family, parents, grandparents and kids all sitting in a row eating together."
Dining out is now more of a special occasion now, he said, as more visitors prepare their own meals.
"We're seeing less people dining out for every meal," he said.
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