Visitor Information Centres Will Remain Open

Business

February 25, 2016 11:41 AM

---

Business Minister Mark Furey confirmed today, Feb. 25, that Nova Scotia's six provincial visitor information centres will remain open. They will continue to be operated and administered by the province.

Over the past year, Tourism Nova Scotia consulted with industry and communities about its programs and services, including other ways to operate provincial visitor information centres.

"These centres are important provincial assets that add value to the tourism experience in Nova Scotia and to the communities where they operate," said Business Minister Mark Furey. "As technology advances tourism is changing rapidly, and we need to keep up with the pace of change. That's why we took the time to make an informed decision about the role the centres will play in growing this industry."

While activity at the centres has decreased over the last decade as tourists get more information online, they continue to play a role in local tourism. The private sector-led Tourism Nova Scotia has a goal to attract more first time visitors to Nova Scotia and double tourism revenues to $4-billion by 2024. Tourism Nova Scotia acknowledges the importance of frontline visitor information services to help meet that goal.

Tourism Nova Scotia will also continue to offer travel planning assistance 24 hours a day on novascotia.com and 365 days a year through the Tourism Contact Centre. In addition to the six provincial visitor information centres, there are more than 50 locally-run centres across the province.

---

Media Contact: Tracy Barron
                902-424-2733
                Cell: 902-223-1465
                Email: tracy.barron@novascotia.ca 

Fate of Nova Scotia's visitor information centres to be decided this week

'Visitor information centres serve a purpose,' says Tourism Minister Mark Furey

By Jean Laroche, CBC News Posted: Feb 24, 2016 3:14 PM AT Last Updated: Feb 24, 2016 3:14 PM AT

The visitor information centre on the Halifax waterfront is one of six remaining in the province. (CBC)

Nova Scotia's tourism minister says he and his cabinet colleagues will decide the fate of six visitor information centres at Thursday's regular cabinet meeting.

Mark Furey said Wednesday he is ready to share a report that contains recommendations he has been mulling over and discussing for months with the province's tourism agency, Tourism Nova Scotia.

"There's been a tremendous amount of discussion and dialogue, information exchanged," Furey told CBC News.

The minister said he was disappointed with the amount of speculation there has been surrounding the fate of the centres at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, on the Halifax waterfront, and in Amherst, Peggys Cove, Yarmouth and Port Hastings.

That speculation has come from the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, which represents the roughly 70 people who work at the centres.

The province's latest edition of its main tourist publication — the Doers and Dreamers guide — removed the location of the centres from the provincial map, which added fuel to the speculation. 

"Obviously if I was to have the ability to go back and change things, would we put that question mark on provincial maps, absolutely," said Furey.

'Obviously there's use of these facilities'

According to figures supplied by Tourism Nova Scotia, all but one of those centres saw more visitors in 2015 than 2014. The only place to see a traffic decrease was at the airport.

Furey said those numbers showed there is a place for the centres in growing tourism in Nova Scotia.

"Safe to say that the numbers, I would say, are significant and that obviously there's use of these facilities."

Overall, the six visitor information centres helped 356,673 people during 2015. That's 40,773 fewer than 2014, but the drop is entirely a result of the 40 per cent decrease in visits to the airport location. 

That location alone saw 57,609 fewer visitors in 2015 than in 2014. Tourism Nova Scotia attributes that to the fact there were fewer flights to Halifax from the United States.

The increase at other locations is due, according to the agency, to an increase in road traffic and the fact Nova Scotians who wanted a guide had to pick them up in person rather than receiving them through the mail.

'Cape Breton If Trump Wins' gets help from tourism agency

Flood of serious inquiries from Americans visiting tongue-in-cheek website

By Yvonne LeBlanc-Smith, CBC News Posted: Feb 17, 2016 7:07 PM AT Last Updated: Feb 18, 2016 7:54 PM AT

A website set up by Rob Calabrese pitches Cape Breton as a refuge for Americans fleeing a Donald Trump presidency. (cbiftrumpwins.com)

Destination Cape Breton is pitching in to help the 'Cape Breton If Trump Wins' website after it was inundated with inquiries after its launch on Monday.

The tongue-in-cheek website urges disenchanted Americans to move to Cape Breton even before the U.S. election in November, avoiding the prospect of living in a country where Donald Trump might be president.

The website was created a few days ago by Sydney radio station announcer Rob Calabrese.

It promotes the values of diversity and tolerance, Canada's public health-care system, the social safety net, along with Cape Breton's scenery, friendliness and affordable housing.

The site has already drawn more than 30,000 visitors. Some people have sent Calabrese serious inquiries. A third of readers also clicked the link to the island's official marketing website, hosted by Destination Cape Breton.

Destination Cape Breton chief executive Mary Tulle saw the interest building and called Calabrese Tuesday.

Fielding questions

"We indicated we were on standby to help, and within 24 hours that has come to fruition," she said. "So we will be able to track a little more significantly what this impact actually is."

In fact, by Wednesday morning, the agency's own website had 12,000 hits from the United States, compared with just over 1,000 this time last year.

Destination Cape Breton will help field questions about what the island has to offer. Inquiries about immigration — and there have been a few — will be redirected to others better suited to answer.

Tulle calls the phenomenon "wonderful."

"I just smile at the good news of Cape Breton," she said. "Thanks to Rob Calabrese and his ingenuity and his passions."

Hear a full interview with Rob Calabrese

Winter night hikes becoming popular in Nova Scotia

Winter night hikes becoming popular in Nova Scotia: A seasonal interpreter at Kejimkujik National Park says the growing popularity of guided winter night hikes and moonlight snowshoeing is revitalizing recreation tourism in Nova Scotia year round and also around the clock.

Fresh face forward: New life for downtown Yarmouth through facade program

Fresh face forward: New life for downtown Yarmouth through facade program: Yarmouth’s historic downtown is popping with colour, life and pride these days, due in part to the Town’s Downtown Facade Program.