Tourism marks another record season in P.E.I.

P.E.I. tourism was up again in September, making it a record-setting year, according to numbers released by the province Friday.

"It was the busiest September ever" for overnight stays since the province began tracking figures in 2005, said Tourism Minister Heath MacDonald in a news release.

With more than 116,000 overnight stays — combining hotel, motel, resort and campground visits — there was an increase of 20 per cent compared to 2014.

"When you talk about Fall Flavours and 30 Days of Awesome. You know there is the Shellfish Festival and there are all kinds of things happening and I think it's extending our season a little bit and drawing on our numbers," said MacDonald.

"Of course the U.S. dollar is playing a part in keeping Canadians within Canada. We are seeing some of that as well. But you know we compete with many other provinces for that travel and we are doing very well."

The Confederation Bridge and Northumberland Ferries also saw major increases in traffic over the same month last year — up 14.3 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively.

Traffic through the Charlottetown Airport was also up by 3.6 per cent.

The P.E.I. National Park, Green Gables House and most heritage sites saw major increases and golf rounds increased two per cent.