Prince Edward Island is perhaps best known for lobster, golf and Anne of Green Gables.

But travel agents should be aware that there’s a wide array of adventurous travel packages that can be booked for Canadians looking for something different. The province also has a new set of indigenous/First Nations experiences; a travel sector that is becoming hugely popular in Canada and around the world.

PEI Tourism Marketing Director Brenda Gallant told TravelPulse Canada that the province reached more than one million overnight stays in 2017; the first time it’s cracked the million mark for overnight visits.

“We’re excited,” Gallant said. “That’s four record-breaking years in a row and we just want to keep on going.”

Gallant said PEI had 1.025 million overnight visits last year and 1.56 million total visitors. Direct revenues reached a record $447 million.

Tourism represents between six and seven per cent of the Prince Edward Island Gross Domestic Product; far more than the Canadian average of two per cent, she said.

"Tourism is huge for us; the second biggest economic driver after agriculture.”

Gallant said Canadian tourism as a whole is doing well. Canada’s economy is stable, gas prices are relatively low and the low Canadian dollar makes it attractive for Canadians to stay home; and for Americans to travel north.

The province’s food, scenery, coastline and cultural aspects (including Anne of Green Gables) continue to attract visitors. But Gallant said travel agents also should take a look at the tourism board’s list of adventure holiday options; everything from world-class cycling to fishing for lobster and step-dancing.

“Indigenous tourism is a relatively new thing for us, as well,” she said. “We never really had much in the way of hands-on experiences, but now the Lennox Island First Nations Reserve (in famous Malpeque Bay) has three new programs. In one of them you can learn to make bannock and cook clams. Another focusses on drumming. You can make your own drum and learn how to play it, and then take the drum home with you. The third option involves using porcupine quills to make jewelry.”

Gallant said there are dozens and dozens of great options on the PEI Tourism website, all of them offering a unique island vacation.

The province has focussed on golf in the past but Gallant said they’re now pushing adventure travel as a whole, including cycling the Confederation Trail (which runs from one tip of the island to the other), kayaking in the beautiful coastal waters and kite-boarding on Malpeque Bay, considered one of the finest spots in the world for kiteboard lovers.

Asked how agents can better sell PEI, Gallant said the outdoor adventure options are a big selling point that some folks don’t think about.

“People are looking to be more active, and I think the options we can offer would be a surprise to many agents.”

I’ve been to PEI four or five times now and find it a wonderful part of Canada. The people are warm and genuine and the scenery surprisingly diverse. Charlottetown has excellent food and quirky shops, and you’ll also find diverse attractions such as the Stompin’ Tom Connors Centre in Skinners Pond, the Bottle Houses (small buildings fashioned out of old wine bottles) in Cap-Egmont and the luxurious Inn at Bay Fortune, run by celebrity chef Michael Smith.