'We don't have enough people': N.B. tourist destination losing revenue due to staff shortages

The rain and fog couldn't keep people from Cape Enrage on Friday, but one day a week the tourist destination has to turn visitors away.

The lighthouse site is located about an hour from Moncton, N.B., along the Fundy Coastal Drive and has spectacular views of the Bay of Fundy.

The not-for-profit offers rappelling and zip line rides, but due to a lack of employees the adventures are not offered on Tuesdays and they can't even open on Wednesdays.

"No, we cannot," said site manager Jim Campbell. "We can't get enough staff. We certainly have to give our teams their two days off and it's just very unfortunate."

A good season pre-pandemic would see 30,000 tourists travel through its gate, but not being fully open is hurting the registered charity.

Campbell, who is also the mayor of nearby Riverside-Albert, estimates they lose $7,000 a day in revenue when closed.

"We don't have enough people. We house our students here. We have room for 12 students that can reside here. We have dorm style rooms and we have a full kitchen and dining area, and it's well stocked with quality appliances, but it's people," he said.

Patricia Strang was visiting from Toronto this week and zip lined for the first time. She says she would definitely recommend Cape Enrage as a vacation destination to her friends back home.

"Oh, absolutely, absolutely. I grew up in the Maritimes and didn't even know this place existed. So, when my sister told me we were coming here I was really excited," said Strang.

One family vacationing from Boston stumbled upon the area when driving on the highway toward Fundy National Park, which is about 15 minutes away.

"It was just sort of something [we discovered]. We turned off the road when we saw the sign," said Lisa Schweigler. "It's lovely here and we're having a good time."

Campbell said the site has been recovering nicely since the pandemic and expects this year's numbers to be around 75 per cent what they were in 2019. He simply wishes he had more employees to stay open all week long.

"We are an amazing site. It's beautiful here, but we can't open and share it with our guests," he said. "Yeah, it causes a financial hardship, but it is also disappointing to guests who have travelled a long way to be in our area."

Cape Enrage will be open all weekend long and on New Brunswick Day there will be a discount rate for anyone who wants to try the zip line.