by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 10:05 AM ET, Mon October 20, 2025
The Atlantic tourism industry and local businesses are reporting more ferry traffic, a result thanks — at least in part — to lower fares.
The Canadian government recently reduced fees by half on federally-supported ferries in a bid to ease interprovincial trade and visitation. According to tourism numbers and anecdotal evidence from locals, it’s working.
CTV News quotes Councillor William McCormick, of Digby, N.S. as saying “It’s definitely been busier in the town than what it would normally be with, with ferry traffic,” he said. “I think it’s fantastic. It’s great to have more people passing through the town.”
Marine Atlantic operates ferries between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. It has reported 38,000 new bookings for future travel since Aug. 1.
“That’s almost double what we’ve seen in previous years,” Maritime Atlantic told CTV. “Right now, summer 2026, we’re looking at a very busy year.”
It’s not only ferries that have benefitted from a cost reduction. Tolls on the Confederation Bridge linking PEI and the mainland in New Brunswick were lowered from $50 to $20 this summer.
Prince Edward Island Tourism reports that while air travel dropped by 16 percent, vehicle traffic went up 25 percent across the Confederation Bridge and on the ferry to PEI in August 2025, compared to the year before.
The reduced fare structure coupled with the desire of Canadians to travel domestically is giving a boost Atlantic Canada hopes to continue. Transport Canada reports that the ferry fare reductions are expected to remain in place until at least 2029 and the tolls for the Confederation Bridge are expected to remain in place until at least 2032.
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