new brunswick travel incentive 2022

N.B.'s travel rebate program has already brought in more than $17M in claims

Submissions now being processed and refunds will be issued in coming weeks, tourism department says.

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A tourism program designed to pay New Brunswickers to vacation at home has brought more than $17 million in claims — more than expected when it was launched because of the pandemic.

Introduced in July as a way to offset the pandemic's chill on tourism, the Explore NB Travel Incentive program allowed residents to apply for a 20 per cent rebate on travel expenses of up to $1,000 incurred in the province. The travel had to include an overnight stay, between July 15 and Sept. 30.

The receipts, which had to be submitted by Oct. 30, have now been tallied and the numbers are better than expected.

Erika Jutras, acting communications director for the Ministry of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, said Wednesday that they had expected to get about 20,000 submissions for rebates.

In fact, they got 25,232 submissions, with claims totalling $17,409,313.64 – which will mean $3,481,862.73 in rebates.

"We had great success with the program," Jutras said in an email. "It's clear New Brunswickers were excited by it and took advantage of traveling within the province over the summer."

The program has been extended to March 2021.

'It was nice to get some of that money back'

Some of the 25,000-plus New Brunswickers who took the government up on their rebate offer said they would have taken the trip anyway.

Others said they parlayed the increased focus on stay-here travel into a new business venture to help offset the damage the pandemic caused to their original line of work.

Chris Leger, a Moncton-based photographer and dyed-in-the-wool traveller, says the rebate was appreciated, but wasn't a deciding factor in his summer plans.

Province will pay New Brunswickers to travel at home
Deadline looms to claim summer travel expenses

"Every year we take a trip to Grand Manan, so this year it was nice to get some of that money back," he said.

Holly and Martin Waltz also claimed the rebate after their trip to Campobello Island.

"But we would have gone on the trip, regardless," Holly said.

A lighthouse stands on the edge of the land with a bridge behind it.

She's undecided on whether they'll take the province up on its extended rebate offer, but said she suspects tourist operators would much rather "just receive financial assistance directly."

Dieppe-based photographer Sharlie Faye Lemieux did a lot of travelling this summer and figures the rebate helped spur most of it.

Lemieux said her usual summer photography gigs – including wedding, honeymoon and boudoir photography – took a heavy hit because of COVID-19.

"One of the ways I coped with having to cancel so many sessions ... was by partnering with different Airbnb's and local stays to be able to promote travelling locally," Lemieux said.

Exactly how much of a boon was it?

It's not known yet how that crucial two-and-a-half-month stretch stacked up against the same period in previous years, or which destinations were the most popular with rebate seekers, Jutras said.

"We are still analyzing data" on the destinations, she said, and Statistics Canada only provides annual data on numbers.

However, accommodation room sales data for the same period, provided under Tourism Indicators on the government's website, show that sector was down by more than half compared to the two years previous.

July, August and September 2018: 650,282 room nights sold
July, August and September 2019: 646,172 room nights sold
July, August and September 2020: 271,211 room nights sold

When will you get your rebate?

All rebate applications must have been submitted by Oct. 30.

A note on the government's travel incentive program page advises that, "due to the large number of claims submitted for the summer Explore NB Travel Incentive Program, we are not able to confirm status of your claim at this time."

Jutras said Wednesday that payments are now being processed and refunds "will begin to be issued in the coming weeks for those who qualify."

No cutoff date has been announced yet for submissions for the extended 2021 rebate, but residents who plan to travel in New Brunswick between now and March 31, 2021 should keep their receipts, Jutras said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marie Sutherland is a web writer with CBC News based in Saint John. You can reach her at [email protected].

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N.B. summer travel incentive program deadline approaches

Eligibility for New Brunswick's summer travel incentive program will end Oct. 31, although the provincial government says it has already issued over $1 million in rebates this year.

The Department of Tourism, Parks and Heritage says 21,855 rebate applications have been received as of last week. While all travel must be carried out before the end of October, people have until Nov. 30 to file a rebate application with the province.

The provincial government says travel expenses within New Brunswick could qualify for a 20 per cent rebate of up to $1,000 for an overnight stay between May 27 and Oct. 31. The province is considering rebates in the categories of accommodations, transportation, activities, and food.

The travel incentive program began last year as a pandemic lifeline to a beleaguered tourism industry.

Initially, only New Brunswick residents were eligible for the program, but it expanded this year to include residents of all four Atlantic provinces. The program's budget also increased year-to-year, from $3 million to 4.5 million.

A total of 25,258 rebate applications were received during last summer's program, with 1,217 for the fall and winter. With additional border restrictions being lifted, the program's future is uncertain.

"I actually think we should continue providing this incentive especially for the fall and winter months," says Carol Alderdice, president of the New Brunswick Tourism Industry Association. "It does a couple things. It gets people within New Brunswick visiting the province. That was a big plus last year. But it also provides them a bit of an incentive to stay in the province or bring in people from the Atlantic provinces."

Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Parks Tammy Scott-Wallace says the program's success will be considered going forward.

"I could see where a program like this could continue to be used in the future," she says. "Maybe it would be a better program than this. I can't commit for sure that this is the answer outside of the pandemic.

Scott-Wallace says reported delays in refunds being issued from last year's program have been addressed, adding that approved rebates should be received by residents in a matter of weeks.

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N.B. Will Pay Staycationers Up To $200 Under Travel Incentive Program

Liam Floyd Fredericton , New Brunswick , News

FREDERICTON – Explore NB’s third phase of its Travel Incentive Program will be available to New Brunswick residents who travel and spend in New Brunswick between May 27 and October 31.

The program was offered last summer and this winter to encourage New Brunswickers to travel within the province and visit businesses while borders are closed during the pandemic.

Participants aged 19 and over are eligible to receive a refund of up to 20 percent with a maximum of $200 per individual. Refunds will be granted until the program’s $4.5-million budget is reached.

This summer, applications will be open July 5 until November 30 for money spent between May 27 and October 31.

“It has helped support many tourism businesses across the province and has helped New Brunswickers to discover new places and hidden gems,” said Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace in a release. “It has truly made it possible for many people to continue to explore their province over the past year.”

Claims can be made for New Brunswick accommodations, restaurants, attractions, events, and certain travel expenses like vehicle rental and parking. A full list of items eligible and ineligible is available on the province’s website.

RELATED: N.B. Campgrounds Ready For Another Summer Of Staycationers

To claim the refund, individuals must submit their receipts with their name, business’s name, dates of stay or purchase, description of the purchase, and the amount paid.

According to the government of New Brunswick’s website, as of May 17, 2021, Explore NB received 25,259 submissions last summer and approved 93.5 percent of the applications submitted.

Liam Floyd is a reporter for Huddle. Send him story suggestions: [email protected] .

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Travelling in new brunswick , visitor information.

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N.B. Offers Incentives To Boost Bookings

PortoBay Hotels & Resorts / CC

To boost bookings, the province, the Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Hotel Association have launched the Meeting Incentive Program.

It will provide a 20 per cent discount for bookings which meet specific criteria.

Tammy Scott-Wallace is the Tourism, Culture and Heritage Minister.

“Our hotel and motel industries contribute to the economic recovery, financial stability and growth of our province. The Meetings Incentive Program will stimulate corporate travel, help rebuild the meetings and conventions market and provide operators with additional support to get back on their feet post-pandemic,” Scott-Wallace said.

The bookings must be for business-related travel and related expenses up to $5,000 for things like meeting rooms, food and audio-visual equipment.

Eligible stays must be for corporate, government or association-related businesses with 10 or more rooms booked on one night during the stay.

New business must be booked between July 19th, 2021 and April 30th, 2022.

The Meeting Incentive Program will provide a 20 per cent discount for bookings for business-related travel and for related expenditures of up to $5,000 per booking for eligible expenses. https://t.co/J63D4AtuzF pic.twitter.com/WIKGkrNhgd — Government of NB (@Gov_NB) July 23, 2021

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Hon. TAMMY SCOTT-WALLACE

Sep 13, 2022

Fall and Winter Explore NB Travel Incentive Program - Applications Now Are Now Open!

In the Speech from the Throne this past fall, we made a commitment to reoffer the Explore NB Travel Incentive program. I am pleased to share that applications are being accepted for travel throughout our province this past fall and winter.

If you travelled in New Brunswick and it included an overnight stay from October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 you may qualify for a 20 per cent rebate on eligible expenses, based on the application criteria below.

You can submit your application until April 30, 2021. We have made improvements in processing applications and are looking forward to receiving your submission.

I would like to thank all New Brunswickers for exploring our province as public health guidelines have allowed and falling in love with it once again. We value the role our tourism industry plays in the province’s economy and we need to capitalize on all opportunities to encourage travel within New Brunswick. I am happy to say that the Explore NB program will be offered again this summer and we look forward to sharing those details with you soon.