Cape Breton businesses find creative ways to lure winter visitors to island

After two challenging years brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism operators are finding new ways to attract visitors to Cape Breton.

And it seems to be working as Destination Cape Breton says page views for winter sports and other excursions are up by nearly 230 per cent over the last year.

"The demand is definitely there for winter in Cape Breton," said the marketing organization's CEO, Terry Smith. 

"It's just a matter of how comfortable people feel about traveling at the current time."

Smith said more money has been spent on trying to market Cape Breton as a winter wonderland in recent years.

At least part of the renewed interest is credited to local businesses. 

"That's what we're continuing to see operators do, more and more, is to be creative and provide new offerings for people," said Smith.

"We'd like to be operating, for the most part, as a [four-season] destination, so winter is a big part of that and thankfully we're seeing it growing."

One example is a chartered air service offering scenic flights from Halifax and Sydney, N.S., for passengers to Ingonish, N.S.

The packages offered by Breton Air are geared toward skiiers and snowboarders. They include a one-way flight and return by vehicle, along with some meals, skiing at Cape Smokey and two nights of accommodation.

"From early conversations with our clients, this is what they wanted," said Breton Air co-owner Matt Wallace.

"They wanted a one-stop shop package put together that they could just book the one thing and be whisked away and have a great weekend."

'Ski baskets'

Another service customers are seeking is to bring their own ski equipment with them.

Breton Air is installing metal utility bins or "ski baskets" on the sides of two of its helicopters.

Smith said he hopes adventures such as taking a helicopter to go skiing will continue the growth of Cape Breton as a four-season locale.

Most of the visitors to the island in the winter months are from the Maritimes, but Destination Cape Breton expects traffic could increase this year from places such as Ontario.

One of the recent highlights for the island, said Smith, was being named as a top place to visit in 2022 by a CNN Travel website.

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