Newfoundland's main ferry service reports a four per cent increase in passenger vehicles travelling across the Gulf of St. Lawrence despite the downturn in the economy.

Marine Atlantic spokeswoman Tara Laing said this is the service's busiest time of the year with 70 per cent of passengers using the ferries in a 10-week period.

"Overall when you look at it, what's been happening throughout the summer, we've actually had a slight increase in the traffic that's travelled over this time last year," she said.

Laing said the good news is surprising because so many organizations predicted that fewer people would travel this year.

Marine Atlantic is a Crown corporation that provides ferry service between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.