W inding roads hugging the coastline, cute accommodations, beaches, waterfalls, incredible look offs—Cape Breton has it all. And while you could spend a couple of weeks exploring everything Cape Breton has to offer, it’s possible to fit a bit of everything in a single weekend without driving the entire circumference of the island (although I’d […]
Tourism
Posted inNews + Opinion
Tourism association pulled out of Airbnb working group after two meetings
A working group report on the regulation of online accommodation sharing websites like Airbnb and VRBO has input from just about every relevant stakeholder—except the tourism industry. The only representatives from the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia at the table pulled out of the working group after two meetings. The provincial tourism department formed […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Hotel and property managers don’t trust Airbnb
Airbnb’s refusal to share data on the number of multi-unit hosts who use its platform is a concern for traditional accommodation industries. Last year, the Hotel Association of Canada commissioned CBRE to complete a nationwide report measuring the impact of Airbnb accommodation-sharing on the hotel and housing markets. Across Canada, the report showed 83 per- […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Being Black and a tourist in Halifax
I live in Toronto. In May, I spent two weeks in Halifax visiting a friend who lives in the city. I went to the Central Library, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Pier 21, the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, Peggys Cove, the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History and […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Council choo-choo-chooses not to fund downtown “road train”
The Halifax “road train” will have to conduct its business without any funding from city hall. A vote at council to provide $50,000 in municipal money for the downtown people-mover was defeated by an 8–8 tie on Tuesday. Councillor Waye Mason, a member of the Halifax Community Road Train Society, recused himself from the vote. Ambassatours […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Going surfing on donair sauce, from Montreal to Halifax
I don’t know how I ended up thinking that a 22-hour train ride could be fun, or even somehow humanly possible. I was blissfully ignorant when I boarded my train from Montreal to Halifax on June 21. My editor at Urbania magazine had sent me to the Maritimes to investigate this seemingly cool alternative newspaper, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nova Scotia Tourism Agency chairman is now a tourist
Let’s be honest, we’d all move to Ontario if we could. It’s just strange to see the board chair for the province’s newly-created Tourism Agency moving with his family back to Upper Canada. As reports Jean Laroche at the CBC, Cabot Links owner Ben Cowan-Dewar plans to attend meetings “every month or two.” Board chairs, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Concert loan scandal report out tomorrow
As expected, the city’s auditor general’s report on the concert loan scandal has been agendized for Tuesday, soon after the 10am start of city council’s meeting (item 9.3.1). In public session, with reporters and TV cameras present, auditor general Larry Munroe will make what will likely be a lengthy presentation to council; immediately afterwards paper […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Immigration irony
We want to put our best face forward when selling ourselves to tourists, so when the provincial tourism department placed an ad in the Chronicle-Herald promoting its “Doers and Dreamers” guide for visitors, it made sense to put some pretty faces on the cover. There’s a smiling old guy paddling a pumpkin boat, a mixed-race […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Manners: Tourism 101
Dear Tourists, Here’s how it works: We’ve got the cultural and historic sites, the cute little tugboat and, of course, the lighthouse. That’s why you’re here. And you’ve got the dough. That’s why we welcome you. We’re going to get that dough by pulling you into Halifax’s restaurants, “the premier culinary source for food and […]