The Antigonish Tourism Association was born from a chance encounter in the late Winter of 2021, between three hoteliers in the community who got to talking about the future of tourism in the community, against the backdrop of the pandemic and beyond. They agreed that Antigonish, with its people, charm and natural beauty, was not meeting its tourism potential. The trio agreed on the need to collaborate to improve Antigonish’s reputation as a tourism destination.

After this meeting, the trio quickly grew to include other local businesses with a stake in tourism – other hotels, restaurants, brewpubs and retail locations.

In September of 2021, the Association incorporated as an official non-profit with the mission to improve Antigonish’ standing as a tourist destination in the province.

Since that time, the ATA has embarked on several important initiatives. It has collaborated with the Town of Antigonish, the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, the Antigonish Chamber of Commerce, Coastal Nova Scotia and others in order to create new photos and videos used to promote Antigonish to interested travelers.

In 2022, the ATA worked with the Atlantic Canadian Opportunities Agency and others to institute the first annual Antigonish Jazzfest (antigonishjazzfest.ca). And in 2023, in Collaboration with the Town of Antigonish and Tourism Nova Scotia, the ATA launched this website, along with social media channels, as vehicles to promote tourism in Antigonish.

Looking forward, the Antigonish Tourism Association will work with community partners to increase the events and attractions offered by our community, improve community facilities to attract visitors outside of the traditional tourism season, and strive to position Antigonish as a recognized tourist destination.