Cape Breton

Subject: Cape Breton has beauty as well as music
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 10:25 AM

Wednesday, March 10, Back
      The Halifax Herald Limited

                C.B. 2nd in world tourism ranking

                By TERA CAMUS / Cape Breton Bureau

                SYDNEY - Cape Breton has scored big on a world tourism most-favourites list.

                A survey of industry experts in the March edition of National Geographic's
                Traveler magazine put the island ahead of places like the Tuscany region of Italy,
                Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii and the Grand Canyon as being one of the
                top spots in the world to visit.

                The 200 experts gave Cape Breton 78 points, placing it second only to the
                Norwegian fiords at 82.

                Cape Breton shares second spot with South Island in New Zealand and Torres
                del Paine, Chili.

                Areas were ranked on natural beauty, ecological quality, cultural integrity, historic
                preservation and future sustainability.

                The magazine's first-of-a-kind poll was done in 2003 by Leeds Metropolitan
                University in England.

                "Popular places today are subject to a variety of pressures - development,
                pollution, globalization, mass tourism," the magazine's publisher stated. "We
                wanted to get a measure of how well destinations are taking care of themselves."

                Typical sun-and-sand destinations score low because most are "vulnerable to
                overbuilding and degradation."

                "Quite a few of the top scorers are high because they are hard to get to," the
                publisher said. "The Norwegian and Chilean fiords aren't sunny beaches, so they
                aren't as likely to be overdeveloped ... but some locations are heavily touristed,
                such as New Zealand's South Island."

                Other Canadian destinations to make the top 115 places to see include the
                Rocky Mountains, which placed fourth with 76 points, Quebec City, seventh at
                74, and the Laurentian Highlands of Quebec, eighth at 73. The pass between
                Alaska and Canada ranked in 10th place with 71 points. No other Canadian area
                was singled out.

                Sandra MacDonald, executive director of Destination Cape Breton, gave a
                "Wow!" when told of the rankings by The Chronicle Herald.

                "We take what we have for granted," she said from Sydney. "It's nice for Cape
                Breton to realize what we have is what others want."

                She said the 300-kilometre Cabot Trail, alive with traditional Acadian, Gaelic and
                Scottish cultures, gives Cape Breton that special something when it comes to
                tourism.

                "It's just unbelievable," she said of second-place billing for the island.

                "From a tourism perspective, it's going to mean a pride in our product. Positive
                feedback and reinforcement is sometimes necessary. . . . It will continue to create
                positive investment, positive infrastructure and positive ideas."

                The average score in the survey was 62 points. Tuscany received 71 points, the
                Great Barrier Reef 66, the Grand Canyon 65 and Hawaii 62.

                Other places that scored below Nova Scotia include the Scottish Highlands 75;
                Easter Island, Chile, 71; Fiji 62; Dead Sea 60; Great Wall of China 59; Tahiti 53;
                and the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt 51.


                                              Back

                               Copyright © 2004 The Halifax Herald Limited

Subject: RE: Cape Breton
From: Mooh
Date: 11 Mar 04 - 09:05 AM

Took the family there last August and it certainly wasn't overrun with tourists (or tour-asses for that matter). Camping was very spacious, roads not busy at all by Ontario standards. We loved it! Went to Louisburg, the Gaelic College, and saw lots of natural beauty. We hope to return.

One observation: Our favourite Ontario destination is now advertising on TV, and we selfishly wish it wouldn't because there are already too many people (those tour-asses) littering, loitering, polluting, and crowding the place. It has got to the point where many residents go elsewhere for long weekends to avoid the rowdyism. Tourism may save their municipal pocketbook but will damage the natural beauty. There is no solution as I see it, people have the right to visit, I just wish they'd tread more softly you know...take only pictures, leave only footprints. Hopefully Cape Breton, unlike our corner of Ontario, can find a balance.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Cape Breton
From: greg stephens
Date: 11 Mar 04 - 09:09 AM

Surprised tosee Stoke-on-trent doesnt appear near the top of these lists

Subject: RE: Cape Breton
From: Strupag
Date: 11 Mar 04 - 10:09 AM

Congratulations to all Cape Bretoners.
It's just a great place to visit, and not just for someone who lives in the Hebrides.
I wonder what the criteria is for points.
I'm sure that you must have scored top marks for politeness, friendliness and craic.
I'll be over again!

Andy Mitchell

Subject: RE: Cape Breton
From: black walnut
Date: 11 Mar 04 - 10:19 AM

The rest of Nova Scotia is pretty darned wonderful too.

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Cape Breton
From: greg stephens
Date: 11 Mar 04 - 10:25 AM

This is all very gratifying as I have to visit Canad for the first time in October, for a family wedding, and I had started homing in on Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island as the places to is it. And other people keep reinforcing this opinion. Having spent significant chunks of my life boating round the Hebrides in a small boat with a band aboard, I suppose this is tthe natural part of Canada to gravitate to. I'm looking forward to seeing it with a huge eagerness.

Subject: RE: Cape Breton
From: Cuilionn
Date: 11 Mar 04 - 11:03 AM

Aye, Cape Breton haes dane a braw job o wairkin oot their interpretation o the "Cultural Heritage Tourism" concept. Ah've gaen up mair than ance for Summer programs at the "Gaelic College" near Baddeck (the plaice isnae a fu-fledgit college, but haes a sma campus wi dorms, museum, library, classruims, a performance space ["Hall o the Clans"] an shop fu o Gaelic lairners' buiks, whigmaleeries, an their ain kilt-makkers. They run cultural education programs in Spring & Summer.)

Ah've haird that, a few years back, there wis a grand consultation on "post-industrial economic options" for the Canadian Maritime Provinces & some o the New England states. The pawkie consultants advisit aa o the state & provincial Hie-Heid-Yins tae invest in "cultural heritage tourism." The Canadian Maritimes followit their advice. Maine chose tae ignore 'em. Ah've driven thro New Brunswick & Nova Scotia up tae Cape Breton-- their promotional tactics an thochtfu coordination o sairvices & sites is pure deid brilliant!!! Ah loved the journey an Ah'd dae it agin in a hairtbeat gin Ah haed the time an sillar.

Meanwhile, Maine is bumblin alang, ettlin tae solve oor ain regional economic waes. We'd dae weel tae explore the possibilities o Cultural Heritage Tourism here, for it'd dae wonders for the health & pride o oor doonhairtit communities, especially in toons haird-hit by the closings o mills & factories. We'd love tae ride on the coat-tails o oor Celtic & Acadian cousins tae the North. Hmmmm... aiblins we cuid offer a "Southern extension route" for Cape Breton's "Ceilidh Trail"?!?

--Cuilionn