Tourists arriving in Cape Breton through Port Hastings will soon have a new place to find information about attractions, activities and events across the region.
The Province of Nova Scotia has approved a request from the Port Hastings Historical Society to begin operating a Community Visitor Information Centre at the Strait Area Museum in Port Hastings.
The centre was one of a slew to close this summer due to cuts in the provincial budget.
The approval to reopen was received by the Society just a couple of days ago, according to Executive Director Angie MacIsaac.
MacIsaac says the idea came from something the Society was already seeing at the museum, tourists looking for information about what they could see and do during their visit.
“We saw a need to fill the gap, and we were already providing information to visitors who came to the museum,” MacIsaac said.
The new Community VIC will expand on that informal role by providing visitors with information about attractions and activities in the area.
MacIsaac says the centre will focus on “community events, activities, attractions and accommodations, both on Cape Breton Island and in the vicinity on the mainland.”
That could give visitors travelling through Port Hastings an opportunity to learn more about communities, attractions and accommodations they might otherwise miss as they continue their travels.
The Community Visitor Information Centre will operate as a pilot project during its first year, with volunteers providing the service.
MacIsaac says the Society will use the pilot year to determine how the centre works and what might be needed in the future.
“The centre will be staffed by volunteers for this pilot year, and they will see what next year brings,” she said.
MacIsaac also indicated that the Society should not have to go through an approval process again with the Province in order to continue the centre beyond the pilot year.
With Port Hastings serving as an important entry point for visitors travelling onto Cape Breton Island, the Society sees an opportunity to provide tourists with more information and encourage them to explore the region.
And for visitors arriving on the island, the message from the Society is straightforward: they’ll be greeted with a “full Cape Breton welcome”.
