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Residents and tourists looking to get away for a summer getaway in New Brunswick will be facing higher fees.
According to the province, costs to upgrade, upkeep and maintain parks have led to the decision to increase fees for provincial parks.
According to Tammy Scott-Wallace, Minister of Tourism, Heritage & Culture, the province will switch to a two-tiered system, opening the doors to high season and low season.
At the Murray Beach campsite, a site with electricity (30amp), water and sewerage, it was $34.78 a night last year. Now, during May long weekend and July-September, charges run up to $55.00.
The province said the increase for Murray Beach would offset the cost of managing the park and keep it in line with other private and publicly-owned campgrounds.
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The department of tourism estimated that the province would bring in an extra $233,675 this season for revenue. That means an extra $22,204 for the government.
They say they last upped the prices in 2020.
The minister said that many parks across New Brunswick are in need of upgrades for campgrounds. Many of the sites are running on electricity that no longer handles many of the newer campers and RVs.
“In order to run their toaster and AC at the same time, they need to have improved amperage for their RVs,” said Scott-Wallace in an interview with Global News.
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“So it’s re-investing in things like that to meet the demand with our campers.”
She said that there had been a greater interest in the parks, but it did not lead to the decision to increase the price of admission. However, she noted that the increase in demand has led to the province having to keep up with services in those parks.
According to the minister, looking at the prices of other provincial campgrounds outside of New Brunswick also didn’t play a role in the decision.
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The MLA for Sussex-Fundy-St.Martins stated that the province looked at the fees of other nearby public and privately owned campgrounds not to put the province at an “unfair advantage.”
“My interest really lied on what are the neighbours of the provincial parks doing, and this is where we settled on prices that were reflected,” told Scott-Wallace.
“The rates that they charge in Nova Scotia isn’t as much of a concern to me.”
The Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick told Global News that the move wasn’t surprising and that prices have gone up.
“Then I look at the price of hotels or Airbnbs or the price of any accommodations of those things; we’ve seen prices go up across the board,” said CEO Andrew McNair.
Some of the increases from the previous model to high season:
- Season fees at Sugarloaf Park Campsites jump for sites with electric rise from $1,652.17 to $2,000
- Beach maintenance fee at Parlee Beach Provincial Park for vehicles jumps $1.74 to $4.34
- Mactaquac Park Campsites’ Site with electricity (30amp), water and sewerage balloons to $50.00 from $34.78
- Monthly sites with electricity (15amp) and water at Herring Cove rise to $1,040.00 from $791.30
- Seasonal fee for unserviced sites at Mount Carleton Campsites rise from $1,321.74 to $1,750.00
Anyone making reservations in March when the site opens is anticipated to be charged the increased amount.
