Cape Breton Tourism Industry Struggles Through Pandemic

MIRA – While Cape Breton’s biggest tourism umbrella lobby group is putting on a brave face and holding giveaways to entice local “staycations,” the CEO of Destination Cape Breton Association (DCBA) says many of the island’s tourism operators are gearing up for a bleak summer and fall.

Terry Smith confirmed in late May that the association has already cancelled its annual Festivals and Events funding program, which sees financial assistance from three levels of government made available to events of all sizes across Cape Breton.

The move came as several community and cultural experiences announced that they would not occur this year, with blank spaces now showing up from early June to the end of October. Marquee events not taking place in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 and the accompanying social distancing regulations in Nova Scotia include the island-wide Celtic Colours International Festival, the weekly Granville Green Concert Series on the Port Hawkesbury waterfront, and community festivals and Canada Day festivities across Cape Breton.

A further blow to the island’s tourism sector arose when cruise ship lines collectively announced that they would not make any stops in Sydney during this cruise season, taking thousands of visitors and tourism dollars out of Cape Breton for the following five months.

Smith pointed out that these developments have turned 2020 into a make-or-break year for the owners and operators of accommodations, campgrounds, and other tourism-related businesses. The DCBA CEO expressed concern that some of these entrepreneurs were already struggling to survive and might not make it out of a pandemic-stricken year.

To combat these developments, Smith and his colleagues developed the “One Hundred Thousand Thanks” campaign that ran throughout Cape Breton on every day of the month of May. The campaign saw tourism-themed prize packages awarded to essential workers nominated by the general public throughout May.

Smith also encouraged Cape Bretoners to get to know more of their own island, pointing out that not enough island residents are aware of the diverse communities on Isle Madame or many of the nooks and crannies of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. He added that such “staycations” could allow Cape Breton residents to turn the negatives of COVID-19 into positives.