Businesses in the region are working to attract Maritime tourists who have opted to vacation locally over the March break.

The March break holiday is staggered across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. — that has meant a bump in business for local stores like Gifts Galore on Main Street in Moncton.

"We see tonnes of people and they all come with their kids and we have suckers and Webkinz and we just have a really good time for all of them,” said Gifts Galore owner Ashley Doiron. “It's great because each week there's a different bunch of kids."

Ben Champoux, Director of Tourism and Culture for the City of Moncton, said the city is zeroing in on March break.

He said not everyone has disposable income to travel to a sunny destination, so his department is doing what it can to attract those sticking closer to home.

"We opened the zoo on weekends during March break... We do promos on TV to attract families from the Maritimes to Moncton during March break. It is indeed a very important time of the year for businesses and the tourism industry," Champoux said.

He said the strategy seems to be working. Attractions such as Magnetic Hill Zoo, Crystal Palace, Poley Mountain and other Maritime ski hills, malls and restaurants are all reporting strong attendance.