P.E.I. tourism celebrates busiest summer ever

Overnight stays were up 7.6 per cent over August 2015. For the year so far, overnight stays are up 11 per cent over 2015, which was itself a record-breaking year.

• P.E.I. reports record tourism in July

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

"I'm very optimistic that the strong numbers will continue into September with world-class events like Fall Flavours and the P.E.I. International Shellfish Festival, which once again saw record crowds," said Tourism Minister Heath MacDonald in a news release.

The province's tourism indicators report shows the increased tourism came largely from Quebec, Ontario, the United States and New Brunswick. The largest increase was from Quebec market, with a 19.6 per cent increase compared to last August.

Ferry traffic down

The Confederation Bridge reported a 9.4 per cent increase compared to last August, and the Charlottetown Airport a 7.5 per cent increase.

Traffic at Northumberland Ferries was way down22 per cent. The service has been running only one ferry all summer with the Holiday Island out of service.

• Ferry service cancelled Friday, but Holiday Island on way home after repairs

The province says the drop in ferry traffic underscores the need for ferry service to return to full capacity.

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