Amherst Aboard Floating Travel Fair

A tourism operator from the Amherst area is finalizing plans for participation in Canada's largest tourism industry promotion in the United States this year, a floating travel fair aboard Bay Ferries' high-speed catamaran, the Cat. The promotion takes place May 14-16 in Boston.

Landmark Vacations will be a participant among the more than 160 tourism industry and trade representatives from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The Cat will dock next to the USS Constitution at the Charlestown navy yard at Boston National Historical Park. Organizers of the promotion anticipate visits from more than 15,000 Bostonians over the weekend.

The Taste of Nova Scotia program, Golf Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Adventure Tourism Association will also travel with the Cat.

"We've had an overwhelming response from Nova Scotia's tourism industry enthused to participate in this promotion. It is sold out," said Doug Fawthrop, chair of the Nova Scotia Tourism Partnership Council. "The positive response has allowed us to expand the event to a multi-faceted promotion that includes all key tourism motivators for New Englanders: music, animation, history, culture and nature-based tourism."

Bostonians are invited to Climb Aboard Canada's Biggest Cat and experience Nova Scotia. Visitors will tour the Cat and spend time meeting with operators in a travel fair on the ship's car deck. Dockside, visitors will be entertained with an audio-visual presentation and a showcase of music and entertainment from up-and-coming Nova Scotia musicians.

Actors in period costume from Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, Fortress of Louisbourg and Port Royal will demonstrate Nova Scotia's claim of having the best living history in Canada. They will be joined by Acadian dancers from the Yarmouth area, traditional rug-hookers from Cheticamp, an Anne of Green Gables actor and three members of the RCMP, as part of the program to whet the appetite of potential visitors.

In total, almost one million pieces of literature, dozens of display booths and flags and banners will be packed aboard the Cat in Yarmouth on May 12. The promotion will leave for Boston the next day.

Premier Russell MacLellan, Economic Development and Tourism Minister Manning MacDonald and Bay Ferries president Mitchell MacLean will host a business cruise on the Cat in Boston's harbour on May 14. This special sailing offers participants opportunities to meet more than 300 guests from a cross-section of New England's private sector, travel-trade industry and travel media. "Together with our tourism partners, we've taken enormous steps forward in growing our local industry. In fact, the results have been record-breaking," said Premier MacLellan. "Our participation in the Cat promotion is sure to bring us the kind of attention we want to better last year's tourism revenues".

"Nova Scotia's tourism industry has earned a reputation for outstanding promotions which capture attention and increase our awareness in key markets," Economic Development and Tourism Minster Manning MacDonald said, "New England is the province's most important U.S. market, and we look forward to great results from this event."

Partners in the promotion are Nova Scotia and Bay Ferries, the Canadian Tourism Commission and the Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership as well as Nova Scotia Celebrate Our Music Program, Prince Edward Island and Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation.

The Nova Scotia tourism industry, which topped $1.1 billion in revenues last year, employs more than 33,000 Nova Scotians with a payroll of about $430 million.