Angie MacIsaac is busy today guiding a bus tour from the U.S. at the Strait Area Museum, detailing the history of the Canso Causeway. Standing near the causeway, she points out an empty building in Port Hastings, N.S., which previously housed the Visitor Information Centre before being closed in February due to provincial budget cuts.
In response to the closure, MacIsaac and her museum team have launched a one-year trial initiative to operate a “community visitor information centre” for tourists visiting Cape Breton. Their goal is to fill the void left by the shutdown and eventually establish the museum as a permanent hub for welcoming visitors.
After the closure announcement in February, Destination Cape Breton, a tourism advocacy group, collaborated with the island’s municipalities to fund the reopening of the centre on a limited basis. Nova Scotia Public Works later revealed plans to demolish the former visitor centre and a nearby gift shop to make space for a new roundabout by 2029.
The lobby of the Strait Area Museum now showcases brochures that were previously available at the visitor centre, with the province designing new road signs to guide tourists. MacIsaac and the Port Hastings Historical Society are providing training to society members and other volunteers to ensure operational support, especially during the off-peak tourism period when student staff will have finished their roles by the end of August.
MacIsaac envisions the museum as the primary welcome point for visitors to Cape Breton, aiming to offer a warm reception that reflects the island’s hospitality. While the province is not currently funding the museum’s new initiative, the historical society can apply for support from the province’s Community Visitor Information Centre funding program.
Local accommodation owners in Cape Breton, like Yvette MacPhee of Ocean View Motel and Chalets in Chéticamp, view the Strait Area Museum’s community-run visitor centre as a positive step, citing the importance of such facilities in areas with limited cell coverage. MacPhee emphasized the challenges faced by tourists seeking last-minute accommodations in the region due to sparse lodging options.
The museum’s effort to establish a welcoming and informative visitor centre aligns with successful models seen in St. Peter’s, Baddeck, and Chéticamp, providing essential services to travelers arriving in Cape Breton.
The article showcases the community spirit and collaborative efforts to support tourism in Cape Breton amidst challenges posed by the closure of the Visitor Information Centre in Port Hastings.