SYDNEY, N.S. -- This summer, many Maritimers have chosen to vacation close to home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The official tourism industry association for Cape Breton, Destination Cape Breton, is taking advantage of the uptick in staycations to entice vacationers to explore the island, and they’re harnessing the power of social media to do it.
“What we know from our research is that most Atlantic Canadians already know Cape Breton pretty well. The vast majority have been here on vacation before,” says Terry Smith, CEO of Destination Cape Breton.
“So what we wanted to do was educate them on some of the things that they may not be aware of.”
Smith hired a few students to promote the island as a staycation destination. They’ve spent the summer visiting every corner of Cape Breton and then uploading videos of their adventures to social media to inspire potential visitors.
“We actually market this as the ultimate summer job,” says Smith.
“They're up for doing pretty much any experience that we ask them to do and they're social media savvy as well.”
Smith says he hears from the students every so often about the fun they're having while on the clock.
“They certainly are enjoying going to work every day. For them, it's almost like they have a two-month vacation,” he says.
