String of record tourism years on P.E.I. comes to an end
Island still exceeds one million overnight stays for second straight year
Prince Edward Island exceeded one million overnight stays in 2018, but its string of four straight record tourism years has come to an end.
Statistics released by Tourism PEI on Thursday show 1,013,280 overnight stays recorded at accommodations across the province in 2018. That's down 1.3 per cent compared to 2017.
In a news release, Economic Development and Tourism Minister Chris Palmer said the numbers are "very encouraging."
"We have lots of work to do to maintain the incredible momentum we've seen the last few years and I look forward to working with industry as we turn our eyes to 2019 and beyond."
In 2019, the province is projecting approximately 1.58 million total visitors with expenditures close to $490 million. The tourism industry says it employs more than 7,700 full-time equivalent workers.