Cape Breton tourism agency encouraging visitors to ‘take your time’

With spring tourism season just around the corner, there is a movement afoot to try to convince people planning trips to Cape Breton to stay a little longer.

Destination Cape Breton has launched a new marketing campaign, which includes a tongue-in-cheek promotional video on YouTube called ‘Take Your Time.’

“We had some economic research that said if we could extend the length of stay by just one day it would have a significant impact on our economy,” said Terry Smith, Destination Cape Breton’s CEO.

It’s an idea Smith said came from vacationers’ feedback.

“Then we had some visitor research done that showed that many people that have come to Cape Breton said they wish they had stayed a little bit longer,” he added. “They didn’t realize how much there was to do until they got here.”

The owner of the Auld Inn Farm bed and breakfast near Baddeck, N.S., said people booking longer trips to the Island could mean added revenue from more nights sold and less of his money spent on turning over rooms.

“A lot of them are just doing the Cabot Trail to drive it, so we do get a large percentage of people staying just the one night,” said inn owner Dan Coffin. “Having them stay extended stays, it helps with reducing our costs but also the carbon footprint. If somebody spends longer in one little region, they’re using less gas.”

Dan Shaw, a marketing expert from Dalhousie University, says despite some competition within Atlantic Canada, he thinks it’s worth a try to get people thinking of Cape Breton as a place to book longer getaways.

“There’s other destinations around that you’re competing against, like Newfoundland,” Shaw said. “Nobody goes to Newfoundland for a three-day weekend.”

With price sensitivity and the cost of living, Shaw admits there could be challenges convincing some vacationers to book longer trips.

However, he feels the message still might resonate, particularly with retirees who have more time and more disposable income.

“I still think it’s a good idea and even if it only gets people to do that fourth or fifth or sixth day instead of that crammed three-day weekend, then it’s a success,” Shaw added.

Shaw and Smith agreed that the proof will be in future rounds of visitor numbers.

Smith said while recent data shows the average stay on the Island is 4.4 days, his hope is that visits of five to seven days or more will start becoming the norm.

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