Achi news desk-
As warmer weather brings T-shirts, bugs and tourists, Fredericton businesses are starting to prepare for the summer season.
“Talking to our hotels, we’re cautiously optimistic, but things are looking pretty good for this year’s tourism season,” said Stacey Russell, director of the Fredericton Tourism District.
Russell said she expects the city to be busy.
Officers Square will reopen for programming in July – there are six back-to-back weekends of baseball tournaments as part of the Bubba Mac Summer Classics, and Mactaquac Provincial Park will host a golf tournament as part of the PGA Tour Americas, a. Tour throughout North and South America.
Ryan Kelly owns Mangata Mactaquac, which offers five cabins for rent and is just minutes from the park. He said one of the golfers in the tournament has already booked a stay at his business, and he expects more.
“It’s going to bring a lot of people, for sure. Mactaquac is kind of a busy place in the summer anyway, so it’s going to be really good for the area,” he said.
Officers’ Square is scheduled to resume programming in July.
Anna Mandin / Global News
For many in the hospitality sector, Russell said 2024 was already busy.
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“We’re already seeing room sales and occupancy peak within the Maritimes, and April was off to a great start,” she said.
She says thousands flocked to downtown Fredericton for the April 8 eclipse, and hotels reported a full spring conference season.
“We feel very positive about the tourist season this summer,” said Sarah Holyoke, general manager of Delta Hotels by Marriott Fredericton.
She said it’s “night and day” compared to business during COVID-19.
Tourism in the provincial capital has recently exceeded the pre-pandemic numbers. For example, in 2023 more than 385,000 hotel rooms were sold in Fredericton – an increase of 8.1 per cent from the previous year.
But some factors are not in the hands of humans.
“I think it all depends on the weather. I think last year was a pretty good summer, but we had a pretty tough summer weather-wise,” Holyoke said.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
