Ottawa and the Atlantic provinces are teaming up with industry to spend $24.5 million over three years on touting Atlantic Canada as a top travel destination. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains says estimates based on business cases suggest the plan could create 200 new tourism businesses and about 6,000 jobs.

Ottawa will provide about $11.4 million as the four Atlantic provinces and local tourism industry associations share the balance.

The project will target vacation markets in the US, the United Kingdom, China and Germany.

Federal ministers and Atlantic premiers met yesterday in western Newfoundland also say a pilot project announced last year to increase immigration to Atlantic Canada is working.

They say more than 200 candidates have been endorsed to apply for permanent residence and more than 400 employers can now recruit immigrants for job openings.