Bookings surge following discounted Argentia rates, says Marine Atlantic

Marine Atlantic officials say bookings on the Argentia ferry run surged by nearly 200 per cent last month as travellers took advantage of a sharp discount on rates.

For a full month ending on March 25, passenger and vehicles fares for the seasonal crossing between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia were reduced by 30 per cent as part of a campaign by Marine Atlantic to get a better understanding of customer preferences, and to help determine a future pricing structure.

The rate for an adult passenger, for example, was reduced from $94.80 to $66.36, and a vehicle under 20 feet was reduced from $196.90 to $137.83.

Spokesman Darrell Mercer said there were 1,534 bookings during that period, an increase of 188 per cent over the same time in 2014.

He described it as a "fairly significant increase."

Mercer said half of those bookings were first-time Marine Atlantic customers.

• Marine Atlantic's discounted Argentia fare worries western Newfoundland

It's the first time the Crown corporation has offered such discounts, but it wasn't universally endorsed. 

Business leaders on the province's west coast expressed fear that it would direct traffic away from the year-round ferry service between Port aux Basques and North Sydney.

Mercer said that did not happen.

In fact, he said, bookings for the Port aux Basques service increased five per cent during the same period.

"We're looking at whether the marketing campaign for Argentia also resulted in some people wanting to travel through Port aux Basques-North Sydney," said Mercer.

Last year, the Argentia service, which runs from June to September with the MV Atlantic Vision making the 14-16 hour crossing, carried some 25,000 passengers. 

Mercer said it's too early to say whether that number will increase this year, but "it's heading in the right direction."

The discount campaign is just the first in a series that will be offered over the next 18 months, Mercer added.