Nova Scotia’s cruise ship season reaches its sunset

It was the final weekend of the fall cruise ship season in some Maritime ports. After two pandemic years, having the passengers back has been a boon.

Despite Fiona and her effect on the fall leaves in some areas, conditions for fall tourism have proved to be fruitful.

On Sunday, one of the final cruise ships of the fall season was docked in Louisbourg in the shadow of the famous Fortress.

While 2022 was billed as a comeback for Nova Scotia’s tourism industry, Fiona had different plans.

“When the hurricane hit, it hurt because it hit us in our busiest week,” Port of Sydney CEO Marlene Usher tells CTV Atlantic.

Eighty-six ships were scheduled to visit Cape Breton this fall. Fifteen of them had to cancel after Fiona. But a few bonus visits, plus higher-than-expected passenger counts, helped make up some of the difference.

“It was extremely busy, and really, there is a limit probably to what our downtown and our port can handle, but we didn’t expect that,” Usher said.

For the head of the Cape Breton Regional Chamber of Commerce, Jenna Lahey, it did her heart good to see cruise traffic return to the town she grew up in, particularly after Louisbourg suffered from that lack of tourism during the pandemic.

“I’m definitely a Louisbourg girl,” Lahey said. “I’ve been part of the cruise ship committee for the last number of years.”

On Sunday, Lahey was able to show passengers the new nautical museum she and others have been working on.

“We actually had several businesses open up here during the pandemic or just after,” she said. “So having the cruise ships come in and help those restaurants really get off their feet.”

With the damage done by Fiona, along with the faded fall colours, the head of Destination Cape Breton says some operators had cancellations. Still, he feels the fall tourism season didn’t fare too badly.

“I don’t want to downplay that, but we were able to have Celtic Colours again,” Terry Smith said. “The cruise ships are back. We just had the Cabot Trail Food Truck Rally last weekend. All combined, I think it ended up being a pretty strong season.”

Back on the Sydney waterfront, this fall marked the debut of the city’s second cruise ship berth – now known as Liberty Pier.

It meant Sydney enjoyed a number of two cruise ship days, and even a few days with three ships.

“Our tour operators, our crafters, our shops, our taxi drivers – all of our partners in cruise also felt the same way, that cruise came back with a vengeance,” Usher said. “And that they also were able to reap the benefits.”

As for future fall seasons, the Port of Sydney says it is already booking for next year, and as far ahead as 2026.

In the next few years, downtown Sydney is expected to see construction completed on the new Nova Scotia Community College campus, along with major renovations being done to Charlotte Street.

So while the visitor experience should be different, the hope is that it will mean more local benefits.