Amidst a bustling day, Angie MacIsaac shares the backstory of the Canso Causeway with a group of American tourists at the Strait Area Museum. Across from the rotary in Port Hastings, N.S., an abandoned building once home to the Visitor Information Centre stands as a reminder of the provincial budget cuts that led to its closure in February.
In response to the void left by the shuttered centre, MacIsaac and her museum team have launched a one-year trial initiative to establish a “community visitor information centre” for tourists visiting Cape Breton. Their goal is to eventually transform the museum into a permanent welcome hub for visitors.
Following the closure announcement, Destination Cape Breton, a tourism advocacy group, rallied the island’s municipalities to fund the reopening of the centre on a limited basis. Nova Scotia Public Works disclosed plans in mid-July to demolish the former visitor centre and a nearby gift shop within two years to make room for a new roundabout expected to be completed by 2029.
The lobby of the Strait Area Museum now showcases brochures previously available at the visitor centre, with the province working on new highway signage to guide tourists. MacIsaac and the Port Hastings Historical Society are providing training to society members and community volunteers. These volunteers will play a crucial role during the off-peak tourism season as student staff at the museum will conclude their duties by the end of August.
MacIsaac envisions the museum as the primary point of contact for visitors to Cape Breton, aiming to offer a warm welcome that embodies the essence of the island. While the province is not providing direct funding for the museum’s new endeavor, the historical society can apply for support through the province’s Community Visitor Information Centre funding program.
Local accommodation proprietors in Cape Breton see promise in the Strait Area Museum’s approach, citing the success of community-operated visitor centres in St. Peter’s, Baddeck, and Chéticamp. Yvette MacPhee, owner-operator of Ocean View Motel and Chalets in Chéticamp, emphasizes the importance of visitor centres due to limited cell coverage on the island, often leaving tourists in need of last-minute lodging options.
The Strait Area Museum’s effort to fill the void left by the closed Visitor Information Centre aligns with the community-driven approach seen in other successful centers across Cape Breton.