As the warmer weather brings out the t-shirts, bugs and tourists, Fredericton businesses are starting to prepare for the summer season.
“In conversations with our hotels, we are cautiously optimistic, but things are looking pretty good for the tourism season this year,” said Stacey Russell, manager of Fredericton Capital Region Tourism.
Russell said he expects the city to remain busy.
Officers Square will reopen for events in July – there are six back-to-back weekends of baseball tournaments as part of the Bubba Mac Summer Classics, and Mactaquoc Provincial Park hosts a golf tournament as part of the PGA Tour America Will Do, a tour spanning North and South America.
Ryan Kelly is the owner of Mangata Mactaquaque, which offers five cabins for rent and is just minutes from the park. He said one golfer at the tournament has already booked a stay for his business and he’s expecting more.
“It will definitely bring a lot of people. Mactaquoc is a busy place in the summer anyway, so this will be really good for the area,” he said.
Officers Square is scheduled to resume programming in July.
Anna Mandin/Global News
Russell said 2024 has already been a busy year for many in the hospitality sector.
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“We are already seeing that room sales and occupancy within the Maritimes were reaching high levels, and April was off to a great start,” he said.
She says thousands of people came to downtown Fredericton for the April 8 eclipse, and hotels have reported full spring convention season.
“We are feeling very positive about the tourism season this summer,” said Sarah Holyoke, general manager of Delta Hotels by Marriott Fredericton.
He said it’s “night and day” compared to business during COVID-19.
Tourism in the province’s capital recently exceeded pre-pandemic numbers. For example, more than 385,000 hotel rooms are expected to be sold in Fredericton in 2023 – an increase of 8.1 per cent over the previous year.
But some factors are beyond human control.
“I think it all depends on the weather. I think we had a great summer last year, but we had a tough summer,” Holyoke said.
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