section3-02

Enhance Visitor Experience

Increasing National Historic Sites Visitation

A decline in the number of visits to national historic sites in recent years is of concern to Parks Canada. Many factors affect the number of visits to national parks and national historic sites such as currency fluctuations, gas prices, weather, and proximity to major urban markets, are outside Parks Canada’s control. General tourism trends, such as the decrease in the number of U.S. visitors to Canada in recent years, also affect the Agency’s capacity to increase visits at historic sites. As part of its Marketing Strategy, Parks Canada is focusing on the elements that are within its control, through the development of better targeted and effective messaging, as well as on the delivery of quality products and experiences that meet the needs and expectations of modern Canadians.

In 2004-2005, fourteen potential national historic sites were chosen and assessed for participation in a new Marketing Program for National Historic Sites of Canada.

Based on the assessment, Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada, in British Columbia, Fort George National Historic Site of Canada, in Ontario, Fort Lennox National Historic Site of Canada, in Quebec, and the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada, in Nova Scotia, were chosen to participate in the marketing program. Three sites are close to major urban areas and the fourth, Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada, is a major attraction outside of a smaller urban area.

The number of visits to each of these national historic sites for the last four years is shown in Table 23.

Table 23: Status of Visits to National Historic Sites of Canada Targeted for Visit Increases

National Historic Sites of Canada	2006-2007		2005-2006		2004-2005		2003-2004
	# of Visits	% Change From Baseline	# of Visits	% Change From baseline	# of Visits	% Change From baseline	Baseline # of Visits
Fort Langley, British Columbia	62,709	3	61,432	1	60,711	0	60,747
Fort George, Ontario	53,615	1	55,141	4	57,230	8	53,023
Fort Lennox, Québec	47,422	23	47,108	22	43,577	13	38,558
Fortress of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia	97,225	-16	103,231	-10	103,112	-10	115,180
Source: Social Science Branch, ERVE Directorate % Change is from 2003-2004 baseline (rounded to nearest whole number)

With 1 year remaining in the program, and using 2003/2004 visitation as a baseline, 3 of 4 sites have increased visitation. The remaining site, the Fortress of Louisbourg, is more significantly impacted by a number of factors including the price of fuel, monetary exchange rates, and its geographical location (literally at the end of the road at the end of the country). As the Agency considers whether it intends to extend the program to other sites it will use lessons learned from these pilots.

< Previous Page  |  Table of Contents  | Next Page  >