By sea or by air, travel is a booming business in Nova Scotia.

The Halifax Stanfield International Airport reached new heights in 2016, serving almost 4 million passengers during its busiest year ever.

And the Port of Halifax is scheduled to break records in both passenger visits and vessel calls during this year's cruise ship season.

"We look forward to working with our partners across the tourism industry as we welcome returning visitors and introduce new guests to Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada," Cathy McGrail, interim vice-president of operations for the Halifax Port Authority, said in a statement.

Domestic traffic up 7.4%

At the airport, exactly 3,908,799 passengers passed through the gates, up 5.6 per cent over the previous 12 months.

"We are set to hit four million passengers in 2017 and we look forward to achieving this milestone," Joyce Carter, Halifax International Airport Authority president and CEO, said in a statement.

An Air Canada jet takes off from Halifax Stanfield International Airport in 2012. Last year's spike in traffic was due to an increase in domestic flights. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

Domestic traffic accounted for about 84 per cent of passengers, up 7.4 per cent.

The airport attributed the growth to new WestJet and NewLeaf flights, as well as more Air Canada seats on flights to Montreal and Toronto.

International flights down

Flights to the U.S. and overseas were down, however.

Passengers on flights south of the border were down 1.9 per cent, while other international traffic was down 4.2 per cent.

The airport said the losses were due to flight reductions by U.S. carriers, and the loss of Air Transat's summer service to London's Gatwick Airport.

​Bert van der Stege, the airport authority's vice-president of business development, said Stanfield will look for new opportunities in Europe, Asia and the U.S.

Air cargo was also up 4.1 per cent, much of it live lobster.

About $187 million in seafood and lobster was shipped from the airport — a rise of $40 million compared to 2015.

Cruise ship records

On the water, the 2017 cruise season in Halifax should be the busiest to date.

The port is expecting 179 vessel calls carrying about 275,000 passengers. Both numbers would be records.

Port spokesman Lane Farguson told CBC News there are three reasons for the spike:

Halifax is a cruise-friendly destination, easy to tour even if you don't book an excursion.

Canada's 150th anniversary is generating a lot of interest in the country's tourism generally.

A favourable exchange rate for U.S. tourists.

The itinerary includes six ships making their first visit and four visits from Cunard Line's flagship Queen Mary 2.

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The busiest passenger day is Oct. 3, when 11,000 passengers are expected, while the busiest ship day is Sept. 14, with five.

This year's season is scheduled to run from April 24 to Oct. 31.