The Trade and Convention Centre will be closed in July for renovations that are being made to modernise it, as part of a three year project, to be able to compete with newer such facilities in Fredericton and Halifax.
Mike Belliveau of Hospitality Saint John tells CHSJ News tourism is playing an ever larger role in the local economy with 1 in 10 jobs tied to the industry.
Belliveau says conferences, like T4G, which attracted people here from all over, are exceptionally lucrative and a good reason why tourism in the Saint John region, as of the end of April, was up 17 per cent over the same time last year.
The UNESCO Stonehammer Conference next September in Saint John with 300 delegates from around the world is the first time it has been held in North America.
