Booming business: Cape Breton Island tourism making up for lost time
With the summer season sailing by, tourism operators in Cape Breton are cashing in.
After the COVID-19 pandemic plagued the past few years, people are travelling again and businesses on the island are busier than ever.
“It really started picking up for us this month. We really started to see a large amount of tourists coming through the gates,” said Martin Kejval, project manager for Cape Smokey Holding Ltd.
This is the first summer in business for the revamped Cape Smokey grounds. The newest attraction is a gondola, which allows visitors to experience breathtaking views.
“This month, we really started to see a big shift in the clientele. We see much more people from Ontario, Quebec, and we do see a fair bit of Americans as well,” said Kejval.
The Celtic Colours International Music Festival, which attracts thousands to the island, is also seeing a rapid response.
Tickets went on sale last week and some shows are already sold out.
“We're really excited to see lots of interest locally, but we've been getting tons of calls internationally,” said Leanne Birmingham-Beddow, Celtic Colours CEO.
The October event will return with in-person shows for the first time in two years.
Birmingham-Beddow says if the summer season is any indication, they're in for a successful festival.
“I've been out to see our hotel partners and they are all having a very busy summer. I heard from a couple in Baddeck and they're over sold for October. We actually sold out several of our concerts in the first day,” she said.
Destination Cape Breton CEO Terry Smith says numbers show a return to pre-pandemic sales.
“A lot of the experts were predicting that there was a lot of pent up demand and pent up savings, so even higher gas prices weren't keeping people from travelling, so that's really good to see,” said Smith.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.