Tuesday, July 31, 2018
With bigger ships pulling in to our ports and an expanding season, cruise business is booming in Nova Scotia. It’s exciting to see the huge cruise ships pulling into port in Halifax and Sydney, but many small ports in Nova Scotia are welcoming cruise passengers as well, helping to spread the benefits of cruise visitation throughout the province.
“It creates an energy in our region and within the business community,” says Michelle Young, Recreation Coordinator for the Town of Pictou. “Our fall tourism season is growing, and cruise gives it another boost.”
Pictou County is expecting five cruise ships to visit in 2018, including the Hebridean Sky, which had its inaugural call at the port in May.
Nova Scotia has 10 ports of call: Halifax and Sydney, and niche ports Baddeck, Cheticamp, Digby, Louisbourg, Lunenburg, Pictou, Yarmouth and Shelburne. Niche ports are smaller harbours that welcome cruise ships with fewer passengers.
The ports, Atlantic provinces, tourism industry partners, Parks Canada and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency are working together through the Atlantic Canada Cruise Association (ACCA) to promote the Atlantic region as a premier cruise destination for spring, summer and fall.
The ACCA reports that in 2017, 413,428 cruise passengers visited Nova Scotia, an increase of 29.1% over the 320,221 passengers who visited in 2016. Last year, 12 ships called on niche ports in Nova Scotia, carrying 2,345 passengers.
Tourism Nova Scotia (TNS) supports the efforts of ports to grow the cruise industry through joint marketing partnerships with the ports & cruise lines, familiarization tours for cruise executives, and cruise-related research.
In cooperation with Destination Cape Breton and Parks Canada, TNS partnered with One Ocean Explorations to host eight media representatives onboard the inaugural Fiddles & Sticks Cruise this spring. The cruise started in Louisbourg and focused on golf and Cape Breton culture.
TNS is a member of the ACCA board and supports the regional marketing partnership through our annual membership contributions. The ACCA markets the four Atlantic provinces directly to international cruise lines.
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency also recently announced a three-year funding commitment to support the ACCA’s marketing activities.
Cruise visitation allows us to showcase our region and the world-class experiences Nova Scotia has to offer. In addition to visiting businesses near the ports, cruise passengers purchase shore excursions and venture out to explore many other attractions. These trips give guests a sense of what they can experience if they return for a longer visit.
Brian Webb, Executive Director of the ACCA, says the cruise industry supports the broader tourism industry throughout the province.
“Having business from cruise lines, which typically visit in the fall, allows tourism operators to develop products you may not have seen otherwise because they can have a longer season and flourish,” says Brian.
In niche ports, the cruise industry can be a way to introduce operators to the travel trade.
Brian says, “a tour operator may develop a product for a niche cruise line, but then also be able to market the product to other partners in the travel trade, like a coach line.”
“The cruise industry is a really great way to expose the Pictou region to the international visitor,” says Michelle Young.
Pictou County began exploring the community’s market readiness for the cruise industry in 2007, and determined that there were experiences to offer cruise passengers and enough support services in place at the port to start hosting ships. The town joined the ACCA that same year, and welcomed its first cruise ship in 2012. They’ve had an average of four or five ships visit the Port of Pictou every year since then, with a record of 10 ships in one season.
Michelle says the town has been able to market itself as a cruise destination in large part because of partnerships with the ACCA and other niche ports in the region. She also attends marketplaces like the Cruise Canada New England Symposium to encourage international cruise lines to add Pictou County to their itineraries.
Cruise passengers come to Pictou County seeking authentic cultural experiences, food and culture, she says. The port promotes “the spirit, songs and flavours of New Scotland.”
“Each ship is welcomed by a lone piper on the sandbar at the entrance to the harbour, which offers passengers something unexpected,” says Michelle.
The 2018 cruise season is already off to a strong start in Nova Scotia, and features inaugural calls at the Port of Halifax from 10 ships. Some of the ships arriving in port carry more than 4,000 passengers. The Port of Halifax was recently named one of the top five cruise destinations in Canada and the US by online cruise guide, Cruise Critic. This accolade helps attract new cruise lines, and validates to existing cruise executives that carrying our destination is good for business.
The Port of Sydney is also expecting several inaugural calls among the 90 scheduled port calls in 2018.
Peak cruise season is September and October in Nova Scotia. This year, ships started arriving in Halifax in April, and in Sydney in May. Ships are scheduled to continue to arrive in both ports until November.
Shelburne and Yarmouth each had successful visits from cruise ships in May. Louisbourg is expecting 10 ships this season.
In 2019, the Cruise Canada New England Symposium will be hosted by the Port of Sydney in Cape Breton, offering Nova Scotia another opportunity to showcase its ports to representatives from international cruise lines.
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