Yahoo Finance Cruise ship business sails into high gear in Sydney
A combination of sunny weather and a higher than normal number of cruise ships gave a boost to the tourism business in Cape Breton on Wednesday.
Three vessels carrying about 3,700 passengers were in port in Sydney Harbour, N.S.
That level of traffic has a significant impact, according to Bernadette MacNeil, port marketing and development manager.
Business was 'hopping'
"When you look around this dockside and you see the busloads of people, they all need drivers. They all have a guide," she said.
"We have our craft market, and the downtown full of people."
Janet Dawson, co-owner of a downtown gift shop, said business was "hopping."
"A constant steady stream of people through the store," she said.
"Lots of folks to chat with and stuff to sell."
MacNeil said a three-ship day does come with some logistical challenges.
"There has to be dockside planning, so what buses are leaving first? There's not enough room here for all the buses at once," she said.
"Then there's planning that's needed by the tour operator to make sure that they don't all pile in at, say, the Highland Village at one time."
Golf-themed cruise coming Friday
Still, MacNeil said it's exciting to have so many people visit at once.
Another ship due to arrive in Cape Breton on Friday will have a much smaller passenger count, but it will be a significant visit nonetheless. It will be the first golf-themed cruise ship to call on the island.
A vessel operated by North Carolina-based Kalos Golf will bring 120 high-end tourists and avid golfers to Ingonish and Inverness N.S., over the weekend.
Highlands Links Golf Course general manager Graham Hudson said he is enthusiastic about the significant exposure the cruise visit gives the island's courses.
"These guys travel the world," he said.
"Those guys talking to other people in pro shops all over the world, that will not hurt us one bit."
Word of mouth
At the port, MacNeil said she is hopeful that word of mouth will benefit the cruise industry in years to come.
"I think that's incredible that cruise ships are now coming to the golf product on Cape Breton Island. That's huge," she said.
"There are these cruise lines that are very high end, and they're looking for something unique, so word does travel very quickly within the industry," MacNeil said.
