The Tourism Industry of Nova Scotia and the major NS political parties (Liberal, NDP and PC) all say that long-term ferry service between Nova Scotia and Maine USA is important for tourism and economic development, and that they generally support it , but with some exceptions:

• The Liberals want the subsidy being provided by the Government of NS to decline.
• The NDP Party are concerned that:
  • The Government of Canada isn't contributing to the subsidy for the NS ferry as it does for many other ferry services in Atlantic Canada.
  • The current ferry service isn't able to carry commercial trucks, which limits the ability of NS to send exports to the USA.
  • The Province is required to cover any losses incurred by the ferry service.
• The PC Party is concerned that:
  • Current level of NS subsidy is not sustainable, and not beneficial to Nova Scotians.
  • Ferry is unable to carry trucks.
  • Port of Portland dictates terms and conditions of the service.

But note that the Portland-Yarmouth ferry isn't operating in a vacuum in providing transportation between Portland and Nova Scotia. A few days prior to publication of the survey results above, Elite Airways announced that it will begin Portland-Halifax service in June 2017.

Comparing these 2 options:

• In the context of moving physical product from NS to Maine or vice-versa, neither the ferry nor the airline have a big advantage, as neither can carry big quantities of cargo.
• In the context of NS inbound tourism, though, there are big differences:
  • Destination: The ferry lands at Yarmouth, while the airline lands at Halifax. So for leisure travelers the tradeoff is: do I want a 5.5-hour cruise to relatively slow-paced Yarmouth, or a 1-hour flight to rather more vibrant Halifax?
  • Cost: Bay Ferries' lowest published round-trip fare for travelers without a vehicle is US$194, while Elite's lowest 1-way fare is US$169 (so presumably US$338 would be worst-case lowest round-trip fare). So the ferry is cheaper.
  • Any tourist visiting NS would definitely want to have a car while there. (see map below.) The ferry can carry passenger vehicles, which the airline obviously cannot; so anyone wanting to have a car once within NS will have to either take the ferry or, if they opt for the airline, rent a car in Halifax. Bay Ferries' high-season price to carry a car is US$398 round-trip. Rentalcars.com shows lowest price for a long-weekend rental in July (Saturday-Monday) as US$320. So not a big difference, unless staying longer.

I believe that for most American tourists, the choice between ferry and airline is going to come down to the type of experience they're looking for in Nova Scotia, because Yarmouth and Halifax are two quite different places, as you'll see by looking at the destination Web sites to which I've linked below.

- David