Destination Cape Breton Association
2014 Strategic Plan
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Background .................................................................................................................... 3
A Celebrated Destination ............................................................................................... 4
Background .................................................................................................................... 7
1.1 2014-2015 Go Forward – Filling capacity gaps ..................................................... 12
2013 Recap ................................................................................................................... 21
2.1 Marketing Go Forward ......................................................................................... 26
3.1 2013 Review ......................................................................................................... 53
3.2 Go Forward and 2014 Goals ................................................................................. 57
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Figure 1: 2013 AMR Participants ................................................................................................... 10
Figure 2: Locals Know Card............................................................................................................ 16
Figure 3: Provincial and Cape Breton room nights compared to 2012 ......................................... 21
Figure 4: Room comparisons of Cape Breton Island to other provincial regions with a similar
number of available rooms.. ......................................................................................................... 22
Figure 5: Advertising recall 2011 - 2013 ........................................................................................ 23
Figure 6: Website visits 2011 – 2013 ............................................................................................. 24
Figure 7: Average spend per visitor party 2011 - 2013 ................................................................. 24
Figure 8: Blocking chart for 2013 Main Media .............................................................................. 25
Figure 9: ROI formula .................................................................................................................... 25
Figure 10: Room nights sold on Cape Breton Island..................................................................... 28
Figures 11 and 12: Web Visitor Geographic .................................................................................. 31
Figures 13: Cruise Ship Visitation 2011-2013 ................................................................................ 33
Figure 14: Comparison between the percentage of cost and percentage of visitor recall of
primary marketing mediums ......................................................................................................... 35
Figure 15: Continuum representing Cape Breton Island’s Facebook goal .................................... 42
Figures 16 and 17: Twitter growth in 2013 ................................................................................... 44
Figure 18: Youtube activity in 2013 ............................................................................................... 46
Figures 19: 2013 VIC visitors per location ..................................................................................... 54
Figures 20: Impact to visitors of consultation with VIC representatives ...................................... 54
Figures 21: Financial impact of consultation with VIC representatives ........................................ 55
Figure 22: Geographic Location of Visitors to Information Centres.............................................. 55
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Background
In January 2010, Destination Cape Breton Association (DCBA) embarked on a new direction. It
evolved from a membership driven organization to a destination marketing organization. Two
plans previously completed were used as references to form the go forward base both internally
for organizational structure and policy and procedure adherence and externally to define Cape
Breton’s branding and positioning opportunities. In late 2010, Atlantic Canada Opportunities
Agency (ACOA) also completed a new plan that adheres to the guiding principal of research will
drive product development that will in turn drive marketing. Destination Cape Breton Association
(DCBA) adheres to this same continuum.
DCBA has three pillars of business which are the basis of the 2014 strategy:

Product Development

Marketing

Visitor Services
Mission Statement:
Utilize our iconic, quality, market ready travel motivators to improve Cape Breton
Island tourism through increasing the Island’s visitation numbers,
accommodations occupancy, as well as the length of stay of our visitors, and in
turn the economic impact of the tourism industry to the Cape Breton Economy.
Cape Breton Island is located on a tiny piece of land, resting on the edge of a continent. The living
cultures, unrivaled hospitality and raw, natural beauty have long beckoned travelers and provided
everlasting memories. It’s these experiences that have increased our awareness as a world
renowned travel destination.
This Island, so small in size, consistently gathers big accolades. National Geographic Traveler
named Cape Breton Island ‘One of 20 Must See Places for 2013’. Golf Digest lists Highlands Links
and Cabot Links in the list of Top 10 golf courses in Canada, with Cabot Links #42 in the world,
and the Cabot Trail is consistently chosen as one of the world’s top routes to travel.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
This increased awareness has resulted in many unique and innovative opportunities. For the
second consecutive year, Cape Breton Island was chosen as the featured destination in the DPA
gifting suites at the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles, allowing our visibility to reach not only
celebrities but film and television executives who just may need a stunning location for their next
project. Our enhanced presence in the golf world has resulted in a three year, PGA Tour Canada
event at The Lakes Golf Club and a Festival of Golf.
The DCBA Marketing Strategy for 2014/15 will work to capitalize on this awareness through
research based marketing decisions coupled with product development initiatives to ensure that
visitors are provided with an experience that meets their expectations. Visitor services training
will continue to focus on encouragement of longer stays and additional activities, with the end
goal of a stronger economic impact from visitors.
Our job as the destination marketing organization for Cape Breton Island is to ensure that we
work with our industry and community partners to enhance tourism experiences Island wide. We
must also implement tools such as an enhanced website, targeted advertising and inspiring
creative to attract more visitors. Once they arrive on our beautiful Island, the magic of this place
and the people speak for themselves. While they may depart when their holiday is over, their
hearts will never truly leave.
A Celebrated Destination
2013 marked a year of celebration for Cape Breton Island. We celebrated the 300th anniversary of
the Fortress of Louisbourg, the accolade of being named one of the “Must See Places in 2013” by
National Geographic, and the recognition of our golf product as world class according to the top
names and voices for the sport.
The tourism industry celebrated notable increases in some key performance indicators such as
visits to experiential icons, an increase in website visits by more than 100%, and an increase in
room-nights sold for the first time since 2007. An increase in travelers counseled by our visitor
services staff of 11.9% over 2012 resulted in additional tourism revenue of over $3.6 MM
(detailed in figures 18 and 19 on page 44). As well, 30 operators participated in the Accelerated
Market Readiness (AMR) program and approximately 100 in an Islandwide training needs
assessment; both resulting in recommendations for moving the industry forward and enhancing
the visitors’ experience.
For 2014, DCBA will continue to promote Cape Breton Island, support our industry operators and
service our visitors according to our three main pillars of business; marketing, product
development and visitor services.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
An overview of the goals for our three pillars 2014 is shown below, with full details in the overall
plan for each pillar outlined in this document.
Product development goals for 2014:
1) Enhance tourism operators training opportunities

By responding to industry feedback, offer ten (training, customer service) workshops to
various levels of tourism operators (i.e. management, front-line staff).

Offer five social media workshops on topics including: Facebook, Twitter, youtube, and
trip advisor; all the while educating on the importance and benefit of business
engagement.

Offer the Accelerated Market Readiness (AMR) Program to eight operators.
2) Increase the awareness of tourism product in Cape Breton Regional Municipality

Work with representatives in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality to create a “Locals
Know” weblink on www.CBIsland.com, including:



Hidden Gems,
The Best of the Ceilidh Trail, and
Itineraries.
3) Have tourism become a “top of mind” product for all tourism front line staff island
wide

Expand the Locals Know initiative to reach businesses Island-wide. The initiative will
include:



Distribution of festival and event information,
Development of tent-cards for use in accommodations, restaurants, attractions,
etc., and
Develop and execute the first annual industry “Open House Day”.
4) Gain an understanding of the culinary product on Cape Breton Island.

Work with key industry partners to coordinate the development of a culinary plan for
Cape Breton Island, which looks to better understanding the level of operator knowledge
on the Island’s culinary product, in addition to the quality of our product offering.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Marketing goals for 2014:

Increase in room nights sold from 393,000 in 2013 to 397,000 in 2014

Increase spend per visitor party by 5% from $1022 to $1073

Increase in visits to Experiential Icons by 5% for the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, 3%
for the Gaelic College and Alexander Graham Bell Museum, and maintain 100,000 visitors for
the Fortress of Louisbourg

Maintain an excellent return on investment (ROI) from our advertising buy. The 2013 ROI was
$37.50. For our industry, any return above $10 for each dollar spent is considered successful.

Increase average length of stay to 5 nights from 4.8 in 2013.
Visitor Services Goal for 2014:

Increase the number of travelers counseled by our VIC staff by 10% over 2013

Transition the administration of Visitor Information Centres from DCBA to respective
municipalities and/or municipal tourism organizations.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Background
To build on what Cape Breton has to offer, Destination Cape Breton Association (hereafter
referred to as DCBA) remains focused on offering high-quality services and experiences to its
visitors. Without the appropriate products and services that are relevant to visitor demand, a
tourism economy cannot survive. Product development, whether it is the development of new
products/experiences or the enhancement of existing products/experiences, is arguably the
cornerstone for the success of any tourism business on Cape Breton Island and for tourism
overall. Product development improves the profitability of tourism businesses by increasing and
diversifying the number of products and services available for visitors, in addition to increasing
visitors’ length of stay, spending, and likelihood of coming back. Our product development
efforts are based on the findings of the “research” phase, which stems from the strategic
continuum that research drives product development that drives marketing.
DCBA works with members of the Cape Breton Island tourism industry to support the
development and enhancement of new tourism products, services, and experiences. Our
programs provide enriching opportunities for business planning, experience creation, product
package development, as well as marketing.
Extensive research by Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Nova Scotia Tourism Agency
(NSTA), tourism partners and DCBA, have identified the following motivators for travel to Cape
Breton:

Coastal/Seacoast Experiences;

Sightseeing and Touring;

Culture, Entertainment and Heritage;

Cuisine;

Outdoor Activities;

Major and International Events; and

Experiential accommodation
“Seeing the sights is no longer enough. Experiential travellers want to
venture beyond the beaten tourist paths and dive deeper into authentic
local culture, connecting with people from other cultures in deep and
meaningful ways, the arts, architecture and music, cooking and food,
sports, adventure and nature, language, history, economics and
literature, philanthropy and a desire to “give back.” More than ever
before, people are travelling their passions.”
Joe Diaz, Co-founder
Afar Magazine
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
DCBA will continue to focus development efforts around the above primary motivators of travel
to Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada as identified in “The Evolution of Tourism”, Nova Scotia
Provincial Tourism Strategy, the “Growth Strategy for Tourism – the Right Products Drive New
Demand,” as well as the integrated tourism strategy for ACOA lead by Tourism Atlantic.
Additionally, internal research indicates that a special emphasis should be placed on the following
travel motivators:

Coastal Experiences,

Sightseeing and Touring,

Culture and Heritage, and

Outdoor Activities

Golf
“Cultural Explorers are defined by their love of constant travel and
continuous opportunities to embrace, discover and immerse
themselves in the culture, people and settings of the places they
visit.”
“Authentic Experiencers are typically understated travellers
looking for authentic, tangible engagement with destinations they
seek, with a particular interest in understanding the history of the
places they visit.”
In understanding the demographics and psychographics of Cape Breton Island visitors,
DCBA has identified two primary Explorer Quotient® types, as per the Canadian Tourism
Commission’s Explorer Quotient® Profiles. These two traveller types include: Cultural Explorers
and Authentic Experiencers.
Using operator feedback, consultant analysis, and knowledge gained from the 2013 initiatives as
the primary building blocks, the 2014-2015 Product Development Plan will remain focused on
developing quality product offerings and providing tailored opportunities for professional
development opportunities and heightened experience/product offerings to operators and
communities in order to ensure visitors receive consistent and quality product offerings island
wide.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Product Development Goals for 2013
The 2013 product development goals and results were as follows:
1) Deliver five industry workshops on topics such as experiential tourism and packaging in
conjunction with Dr. Nancy Arsenault, The Tourism Café, and potentially Experience PEI

Experiential Tourism Workshop, hosted by Dr. Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Café, held in
Louisbourg from May 30-31, 2013.


Topics included: who is our visitor, how do we work together to grow
tourism, and what is our story?
Experiential Tourism Demonstration, hosted by the Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable
Tourism on June 7, 2013 in St. Ann’s.
2) Working with the Nova Scotia Tourism Human Resource Council and Economic and Rural
Development and Tourism, assess the training needs of Cape Breton Island operators

Develop a list of capacity gaps in training Island Wide (i.e. language, sensitivity, quality
visitor service)


Preliminary meeting took place May 27, 2013 to discuss go forward. In
attendance: DCBA representatives, Inverness County, Richmond County, the
Town of Port Hawkesbury, and Lisa Dahr, NSTHRC.
MRSB Consulting hired to conduct assessment in late 2013, early 2014.
3) Offer the Accelerated Market Readiness Program (AMR) to 30 operators.

Participants include:












Martin Arms Hotel
The Best of Cape Breton Gift Shop
Fortress of Louisbourg Association
Membertou Heritage Park
Grubstake Restaurant
Louisbourg Harbour Inn B&B
The Lakes Golf Club
Two Rivers Wildlife Park
Cape Breton Sailing Charters
Le Centre de Recherche Marine
MacAskill House Museum
Notre Dame Church
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan


















2013
Potlotek
Eagle North Kayak
Galloping Cows Fine Foods
Eagle Eye Outfitters
Castle Rock Country Inn
Gaelic College
Glass Artisans Studio
Lantern Hill & Hollow
Wagmatcook Culture and Heritage Centre
Silver Dart Lodge
Auld Farm Inn B&B
Cabot Trail Motel
Firehouse IronWorks
Highland Village Museum
Adventures East Campground
Colouratura Art Gallery
Baddeck Lobster Suppers
Auberge Gisele’s Inn
The following map is a visual representation of the 2013 AMR participants:
Figure 1: 2013 AMR Participants
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
4) Work with representatives in the Municipality of the County of Inverness to create a
“Locals Know” weblink on www.CBIsland.com, including:

Hidden Gems,

The Best of the Ceilidh Trail, and

Itineraries.



Survey conducted of Ceilidh Trail workshop participants and other residents in
March 2013 re: content for Locals Know portion of CBIsland.com.
In partnership with the Municipality of the County of Inverness, top ten things to
do along the Ceilidh Trail & hidden gems now live on website
Itineraries to come
5) Increase the number of new, purchasable market-ready experiences on cbisland.com and
in print collateral by 30. (By delivering workshops and providing the tools and technical
support to private sector partners, we will aggressively work with partners to create
purchasable experiences in support of our core experiences / travel motivators)

122 online experiences; increase of 32 from 2012 (36%) and increase of 82 from 2011
(205%)
6) Work with Municipality representatives to develop an inventory of existing experience
and package offerings.

Inventory list has been compiled and is awaiting feedback from municipalities.
7) In partnership with our Municipal partners and Product Development Committee,
establish criteria for experiences and packages to be used for promotion online and in
print.

Adapted from criteria used for packages and experiences on NovaScotia.com and DCBA
criteria already in place
8) Roger Brooks to conduct destination assessment(s).

CBRM assessment took place week of August 26, 2013; presentation scheduled for
October 25th at Centre 200
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
9) In an effort to provide a heightened sense of pride and place, pilot a “Locals Know”
campaign in the CBRM.

DCBA staff visited 179 businesses in Sydney, Louisbourg, Glace Bay, & Membertou
equipped with information cards for distribution July 9th-October 19th.

Positive feedback received from all participants.
1.1 2014-2015 Go Forward – Filling capacity gaps
Tourism is a highly competitive industry susceptible to constant change. DCBA will continue to
take a proactive approach in our decision-making to ensure we are equipped to respond
effectively to new tourism trends.
The 2014-2015 product development goals are based on feedback from 2013 initiatives
including: an accelerated market readiness summary of findings report developed by Dr. Laurel
Reid of Tourism Synergy Ltd. as well as an Islandwide training needs assessment, in addition to
the NSTA’s “A Tourism Strategy for Nova Scotia”.
Accelerated Market Readiness Program (AMR):
AMR provides tourism operators the opportunity to participate in a practical, mentorship-type
consultation program that examines issues specific to their business. 30 operators participated in
the AMR in 2013, up from 11 in 2012. Upon completion of the assessments, a findings summary
was prepared by hired consultant, Dr. Laurel Reid, thus determining the following go forward
recommendations/capacity gaps (for the complete report, please see Appendix A).
The top eleven (five highlighted) suggested areas for improvement identified by Dr. Reid include:

Website (including TT.com review) (67% of participants or 20)

Database (creating & selling); computerized records (50% of participants or 15)

Facebook (to encourage sales) (43% of participants or 13)

Product development (specific to operator) (40% of participants or 12)

Pricing (40% of participants or 12)

Signage (33% of participants or 10)

Markets & marketing (33% of participants or 10)
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013

Theme/story development (30% of participants or 9)

Customer service/evaluation (VSP) (30% of participants or 9)

Additional staff (30% of participants or 9)

Renovations/expansion (proceed with existing plans) (30% of participants or 9)
Moving into 2014, DCBA remains focused on offering opportunities that satisfy capacity gaps
arising from said assessment (both entry-level training and professional development
opportunities for new and existing tourism employees). The following priorities have been
identified as per hired consultant, Dr. Laurel Reid

Customer Service Training: SuperHost Atlantic and Service 1st – Making the Connection are
two customer service training programs offered through the Nova Scotia Tourism Human
Resources Council. In accordance with recommendations by hired needs assessment
consultant, it is DCBA’s intent to facilitate the execution of like programs Islandwide in an
effort to enhance customer service overall and at every visitor touch point.

Social Media Training: According to the NSTA, “sixty-five percent of travellers research
destinations online before deciding where to go.” We understand the importance of
operators creating and maintaining a strong online presence in order to capitalize on the
power of social media’s influence on travellers’ decisions, and in turn, as a regional tourism
industry association for Cape Breton Island, choose to offer opportunities for education and
experience.

Development/Use of Customer Database: An area of focus for DCBA in 2014 is to increase
the education of and offer opportunities for industry to develop customer databases for
research, product development, and marketing purposes.
Strategic Tourism Expansion Program (STEP):
STEP is an ‘off the shelf’ solution that guides communities through a strategic process of building
and executing a STEP Forward Sustainable Tourism Plan that incorporates experiential product
development.
The STEP committee works closely with a qualified consultant to guide the community through
the 6-step process that results in a STEP Forward Sustainable Tourism Plan.
As of 2014, there will be two STEP graduate communities within Cape Breton, Louisbourg and
Baddeck (which will graduate in early February 2014). Both communities participated in the
program and were successful in the development of Strategic Action Plans.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Professional Marketing Assessment:
In 2012, destination development expert Roger Brooks and his team at Roger Brooks
International assessed the Ceilidh Trail region, re-assessed the Cabot Trail region, and in 2013,
the CBRM through the eyes of a first time visitor. In the form of open-community sessions,
various development items were identified including: signage (public and private), wayfinding
(ease of getting around), general appeal (architecture, beautification), critical mass/business mix,
business hours and merchant curb/facade appeal, visitor information services, visitor amenities
(parking, restrooms), local attitude, attractions (things to see and do), etc. The end result was
region-specific reports; each outlining a list of suggestions for improving the visitor experience to
the respective region.
In 2013, DCBA’s objective was to identify those suggestions in which we could support, and to
maintain strong relationships with working groups and municipalities throughout the
implementation process.
DCBA worked closely with the Municipality of the County of Inverness and operators along the
Ceilidh Trail in 2013 to:

Coordinate the creation of a Hidden Gems listing,

Coordinate the creation of a “Best of the Ceilidh Trail” listing, and

Coordinate the creation of “locals know” itineraries for website and other promotional use.
The combination of these three items formed a “locals know” weblink on the www.CBIsland.com
website.
A temporary working group representing the Cabot Trail was formed and collectively achieved
the following in 2013:

Evident changes along the Cabot Trail in terms of signage (less clutter, more relevancy (i.e.
distance), & more brand consistency)

Businesses are now focused on curb appeal and beautification.

Interpretive panels and 24/7 information kiosks now in place.
In 2013, DCBA engaged Roger Brooks to assess the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The
report was received in early 2014, and distributed to all presentation participants, as well as
made available via our industry website and biweekly e-newsletter. At this time, it is DCBA’s
intent to further engage industry to prioritize and implement all relevant suggestions. A group
has formed in the Downtown Sydney area with representation from the Cape Breton Small
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Business Development Centre, Sydney Port Corporation, Cape Breton Centre for Craft and
Design, Destination Cape Breton Association, Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation, and led by
Councillor Eldon Macdonald, Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The priority of the group is to
develop an Action Plan per Roger Brooks’ suggestions and Communities in Bloom program. As a
go-forward, DCBA will work with this group as a catalyst, and industry at large to:

Coordinate the creation of a Hidden Gems listing,

Coordinate the creation of a “Best of the Ceilidh Trail” listing, and

Coordinate the creation of “locals know” itineraries for website and other promotional use.
Locals Know Initiative:
In 2013, a “locals know” pilot initiative was launched by DCBA in the CBRM; commencing July 9th
through October 15th. The program was created by the Nova Scotia Tourism Agency to “build
pride among Nova Scotians in what the province offers visitors; enhance Nova Scotians’
awareness of their role as hosts and ambassadors, and enhance their appreciation of the value of
the visitor economy,” as per the Tourism Strategy for Nova Scotia, NSTA.
The goal of the “locals know” initiative is to provide information and knowledge to non-traditional
tourism businesses that are potentially touch points for visitors, thus empowering businesses to
promote, inform, and assist visitors to our area and to become educated on our tourism products
and service offerings. The program helps identify and empower Cape Breton ambassadors to
help promote Cape Breton as well as encourages Cape Bretoners to travel their Island and to
invite family and friends to visit.
The DCBA program focussed on raising awareness of ‘what’s going on” through the development
of 4” x 6” cards. Two types of cards were created and distributed: a “Top 10 Things to do in
CBRM/Top 10 Things to do Islandwide” and a “What’s Going On” card that highlighted daily
events taking place across the Island. The collection of information, populating the cards, and
delivery was carried out by summer student.
The following is an example of the “Top 10” laminated card distributed to participants.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Figure 2: Locals Know Card
The cards were distributed to 179 businesses throughout the CBRM business and tourism cores,
with an emphasis on downtown Louisburg, downtown Sydney, downtown Glace Bay, the Sydney
Shopping Center and Membertou (this includes: retail outlets, restaurants, accommodations,
financial institutions, attractions, etc.)
The program was deemed a successful initiative; however, in canvassing participants and from
our own observations, there are some recommendations for moving the initiative forward in
2014. The goal in 2014 is to expand this program Islandwide in an effort to enhance
communication, strengthen our tourism message, and better educate businesses and visitors on
what is going on around Cape Breton Island.
Go forward recommendations and critical path can be found in Appendix B.
Training Opportunities:
One of the key findings as per research and consultations conducted by the NSTA stated that,
“industry operators and workers need to be well trained and highly skilled.” In 2013, DCBA
identified the need for a professional and knowledgeable consultant to conduct a training needs
assessment of Cape Breton tourism operators. The objective was to define the scope of the
research, assess the needs of our operators, determine the availability of existing resources (e.g.
Emerit certification, Service 1st), develop a plan, and identify key partners/players to work closely
16
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
with throughout the implementation process (a full listing of training programs and opportunities
available through the Nova Scotia Tourism Human Resource Council, see Appendix C).
Industry Networking Opportunities:
With the goal of increasing the number of package opportunities offered online, DCBA will strive
to encourage partnerships and strategic alliances between tourism operators by ways of industry
networking sessions (i.e. speed networking; see Appendix D for a complete definition).
Experiences/Packaging:
Research shows that more
visitors than ever are looking for experiences that
accurately represent a destination rather than generic
activities that do not rightfully showcase what a
destination has to offer as supported by the CTC EQ.
DCBA must continue to identify and showcase our
authentic experience offerings and work with operators
to create unique packages for purchase.
“Travellers around the world are telling us that
they want to explore the unique, the exotic and
the unexpected.”
Michele MacKenzie, President and CEO
Canadian Tourism Commission
Canadian Signature Experience Collection:
In alignment with the Nova Scotia Tourism Agency, Tourism Atlantic, and the Canadian Tourism
Commission, DCBA has placed increased emphasis on offering its’ visitors authentic Cape Breton
experiences. The NSTA has identified the Canadian Signature Experiences Collection, through the
Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), as a key priority in terms of moving forward. As of
November 2013, two additional Cape Breton experiences (Sunset Hike at Skyline Trail and the
White Glove Tour at the Alexander Graham Bell Museum) were selected to become part of the
Collection.
Moving into 2014, DCBA will work with industry and Municipal partners to identify and
recommend a minimum of 2-3 experiences for consideration into the Signature Experiences
Collection.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
1.1.1 Product Development Priorities for 2014:
1) Enhance training opportunities for tourism operators.

Provide industry with access to information and tools they can use through www.dcbainfo.com and the Tourism Connect e-newsletter (i.e. 12 Essentials, training and professional
development opportunities).

Work closely with partnering organizations (RANS, Taste of NS, TIANS, etc.) to identify and
take advantage of development programs already in place

Based on AMR operator feedback, focus on areas that will increase the market-readiness of
experiences including:



Customer service training,
Social media training, and
Development/use of customer databases.

Provide support to all operators who participated in the AMR program in 2013 (realize
priorities and work with industry partners to identify programs already available).

Encourage partners to participate in training and educational opportunities (Edge of the
Wedge, GMIST, best practices missions and market readiness programs), and ensure that all
opportunities are promoted through www.dcba-info.com.

Support working groups in the implementation of recommendations as a result of Roger
Brook’s Opportunity Assessments. For the CBRM (and Cabot Trail, if applicable), focus on:



The Hidden Gems,
“Locals know” itineraries, and
The Best of the CBRM.

Provide further administrative support to the two participating Strategic Tourism Expansion
Program (STEP) communities.

Identify and recommend 2-3 Cape Breton experiences for the Canadian Signature Experience
Collection through the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC)

Develop and foster strong relationships with key stakeholders, operators, and product clubs
through community engagement and participation efforts (STEP, workshops, AMR, etc.)

Work closely with Municipality partners and Sales and Industry Relations to encourage
industry to develop exciting new experiences and packages to market online

Place emphasis on Cape Breton Island travel motivators based upon the travel intentions
survey and other in-house visitor research
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
In order to ensure that we have the proper in-house capacity to deliver product development
initiatives, the periodic hiring of consultants may be deemed necessary.
1.1.2 Product development goals for 2014:
1) Enhance tourism operators training opportunities

By responding to industry feedback, offer ten (training, customer service) workshops to
various levels of tourism operators (i.e. management, front-line staff).

Offer five social media workshops on topics including: Facebook, Twitter, youtube, and trip
advisor; all the while educating on the importance and benefit of business engagement.

Offer the Accelerated Market Readiness (AMR) Program to eight operators.
2) Increase the awareness of tourism product in Cape Breton Regional Municipality

Work with representatives in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality to create a “Locals
Know” weblink on www.CBIsland.com, including:



Hidden Gems,
The Best of the Ceilidh Trail, and
Itineraries.
3) Have tourism become a “top of mind” product for all tourism front line staff island
wide

Expand the Locals Know initiative to reach businesses Island-wide. The initiative will include:



Distribution of festival and event information,
Development of tent-cards for use in accommodations, restaurants, attractions, etc.,
and
Develop and execute the first annual industry “Open House Day”.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
4) Gain an understanding of the culinary product on Cape Breton Island.

Work with key industry partners to coordinate the development of a culinary plan for Cape
Breton Island, which looks to better understanding the level of operator knowledge on the
Island’s culinary product, in addition to the quality of our product offering.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
2014 marks the fourth year for Destination Cape Breton Association (DCBA) as Destination
Marketing Organization (DMO). Since its transition to a DMO, DCBA has followed the continuum
outlined in the ACOA tourism plan – Research drives Product Development which drives
Marketing. The 2014 marketing strategy will again closely adhere to this continuum through
research and results-based decisions. Research sources are defined in the final section of the
marketing agenda titled “2014 Research”.
2013 Recap
2013 proved a successful year for Cape Breton Island tourism. Increases were gained through
several key performance indicators including web site visitation, room nights sold, occupancy
rate, and visits to experiential icons. The objectives and results for the 2013 tourism season are
reviewed below:

Bridge the gap between the 3 year average and 2012 by recovering 8,333 room nights which
represents a 2% increase over 2012

The actual increase in room nights for Cape Breton Island was 5% for an increase of
18,000 room nights.
Room nights compared to 2012
5
4
3
NB
2
NS
1
PEI
0
CBI
-1
-2
-3
Figure 3: Provincial and Cape Breton room nights compared to 2012
21
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Room nights compared to 2012
5
4
3
Charlottetown
2
Bay of Fundy
1
Fredericton
0
CBI
-1
-2
-3
Figure 4: Room comparisons of Cape Breton Island to other provincial regions with a similar number
of available rooms. Room night data not available for Newfoundland.

Increase spend per visitor party by 5% over 2012 to an average spend of $1027


Increase visitors to CBIsland.com by 10%



A 4.4% increase was achieved in average spend resulting in $1022 per visitor party
104.3% increase in web visits
8.6% increase in average time on site
 In addition to increased media attention and our heavily targeted advertising
campaign, some of the tactical reasons for the significant increase include a
thorough review and update of the site code, extensive SEO (search engine
optimization), and refreshed look and site layout.
Reduce bounce rate for Cbisland.com to under 40% for overall visits and under 35% for visits
driven by Google Adwords


Overall bounce rate 38.9%
Bounce rate for Google campaigns 32.3%
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan

2013
Increase in our return on investment (ROI) from our advertising buy of 5% for an ROI of
$22.22

The ROI for the 2013 campaign was $37.50
 Drivers of the significant increase include increase in advertising recall
(calculated as the percent of Travel Intention survey respondents who saw
and recalled an advertisement for Cape Breton Island tourism prior to visiting
the website); increase in website visits and increase in spend per visitor
party.
Advertising Recall
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2011
2012
2013
Figure 5: Advertising recall 2011 - 2013
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Website Visits
250000
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
2011
2012
2013
Figure 6: Website visits 2011 – 2013
Average Spend
$1,200
$1,000
$800
$600
$400
$200
$0
2011
2012
2013
Figure 7: Average spend per visitor party 2011 - 2013
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
25-May
24-Jun
24-Jul
2013
23-Aug
22-Sep
22-Oct
21-Nov
TV
Newspaper
AdWords
Figure 8: Blocking chart for 2013 Main Media
(Metrics for calculating the Return on Investment for DCBA advertising spend are outlined in the
tables below)
Metric
Advertising Spend
Source
Marketing Codes specific to
advertising budget category
Unique web visits
Average web visits per person
Adjusted unique web visits
Google Analytics
Travel Intentions Data
Calculation
% who recalled advertising
# who recalled advertising
Travel Intentions Data
Calculation
% of web visitors surveyed who
travelled to CBI
# of web visitors surveyed who
travelled to CBI
Average spend per visitor party
Travel Intentions Data
Notes
Include paid, booked and
future anticipated spend for
the fiscal
Same timeframe as survey
Unique web visits divided by
average visit per person
Adjusted web visits multiplied
by % who recall advertising
Based on conversion
respondents
Calculation
# who recalled advertising
multiplied by % who visited
Travel Intentions Data
From SSPS data. Remove any
spend over $5000 and under
$100 and use the mean as
average spend
Total Spend
Calculation
ROI
Calculation
# who visited multiplied by
average spend per party
Total visitor spend divided
by ad spend
Figure 9: ROI formula
25
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan

Increase visitation to Experiential Icons by the percentages indicated below
Icon
Fortress of Louisbourg
Gaelic College
Alexander Graham Bell Museum
Cape Breton Highlands National Park

2013
Goal
15%
5%
3%
5%
Result
38%
3.5%
8%
21%
Gain more media attention for the destination


Our newly formed partnership in 2013 with Siren Communications has so far resulted
in 48 media placements with a value of over $545,000 with more publications to be
released in the spring.
Our partnership will continue with Siren for the 2014 season.
2.1 Marketing Go Forward
One of the most notable projects in the 2014 marketing plan will involve a change and update to
the brand of Cape Breton Island.
In the early 1990s, Cape Breton Island was beautifully and accurately branded as “Nova Scotia’s
Masterpiece”. This brand message worked for a number of reasons including the allure of Nova
Scotia to visitors.
In 2000, the funding for marketing Cape Breton Island as tourism destination was ended. The
Nova Scotia’s Masterpiece brand remained unused until 2009 when funding was reinstated.
In 2013, a new campaign was developed for the island which included new imagery, creative
elements and messaging; the key message being “Your Heart Will Never Leave”. Through
research and visitor response, we found that this message resonated heavily with our visitors. In
2014, that message will become the new brand message for Cape Breton Island tourism. In
addition to the embrace of this message from our visitors, some other reasons to support the
change include:

Cape Breton Island is recognized as a stand-alone destination with over 11 international
accolades.

Nova Scotia’s Masterpiece is no longer relevant to DCBAs marketing strategy based on our
regional geographic focus in marketing
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013

The tourist of 20 years ago is not the same tourist we see today. Our visitor has evolved from
one who tours to one who wishes to “experience” a destination.

Informal discussions with tourists hinted that they perceive ‘Nova Scotia’s Masterpiece’ to be
a single attraction (the Cabot Trail) rather than a vacation destination
For a report providing further information on the rebranding strategy, please see Appendix E.
The marketing plan for the 2014 tourism season including target markets, demographic, and
media channels will again be based on our research and will be outlined in the following section
of the plan.
2014 Marketing Goals & Objectives:
Our marketing goals are outlined below:

Accommodations / Room nights


Increase the growth experienced in 2013 of 393,000 room nights with 397,000 room
nights for the 2014 season. This will exceed the five-year high of 395,000 room nights
sold in 2010.
The percentage growth to reach that target is 1% over 2013, or 3% over the average
of the past four years
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Cape Breton
400
395
390
385
380
375
370
365
360
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Figure 10: Room nights sold on Cape Breton Island.
2014 number represents the goal for 2014

Average Spend per visitor party


Website increases



The goal for 2014 is $1073 - an increase of 5% or $51
The goal for 2014 is to reach 250,000 visits, which would represent an increase of
15% over 2013 traffic
The goal for bounce rate remains at >40% for overall visits, and >35% for traffic from
Google AdWords
Average length of stay

The goal for 2014 is five nights, which is a 4% increase over 2012 and 2013
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan

2013
Increase visits to Experiential Icons by the percentages indicated below:
Icon
Fortress of Louisbourg
Gaelic College
Alexander Graham Bell Museum
Goal
Maintain 100,000 visits
3%
3%
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
5%
Meeting these goals will result in a direct visitor spend of over $85M, which is an increase of $2M
over 2013 and $9M over 2012.
The following are some of the tactics that will help support the 2014 objectives:

Targeting our marketing investment to the geographic areas that show the strongest results
and propensity to visit CBI per our Travel Intentions and Conversion Study and confirmed by
our Google analytics.

Investing in the media sources that provided the strongest visitor recall and quality of website
visitation. Quality is measured by bounce rate and time on site.

Promoting the Top 10 experiences on Cape Breton Island through our Doers and Dreamers
gatefold, on the website, and other ad materials as they are produced. See Appendix F for a
list of the Top 10.

Through the “14 in 14” campaign, we will promote 14 Cape Breton Island events that begin
and end in the shoulder seasons and run through peak season. The chosen events all have a
focus on visitation, and will be promoted in appropriate marketing materials throughout the
season.


Custom itineraries will be designed around each event with complimenting
experiences in an effort to increase the length of stay for visitors coming for an event
that is shorter than seven days. These itineraries will be promoted on our website
along with each event.
CALL to action – in partnership with Golf Cape Breton, a concierge booking representative will
join us again this season to manage booking and travel inquiry calls. A toll free number (TFN)
will be obviously displayed on both websites and be the call to action for Golf to inquire/book
golf packages and associated experiences, and the call to action for all packages, experience
bookings or inquiries for general travel on Cape Breton Island. The concierge will:
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan



2013
Be well versed in CBI travel and our golf product. Their objective will be to complete
bookings and increase purchasable experiences and length of stay using a
consultative sales approach.
Use the BURC method when communicating with potential visitors.
 Building rapport – thanking the visitor for their interest in Cape Breton,
making them feel like they are receiving special concierge treatment
 Uncovering clues – Where is the visitor from, who will they be traveling with,
how long do they plan to stay, what are they most interested in doing?
 Recommendations – based on what clues were uncovered, recommend an
itinerary with appropriate experiences. When applicable, recommend
increased stay
 Close the sale by confirming that the recommended itinerary is suitable,
make associated booking, and make the visitor excited about their upcoming
vacation
Documented all visitor interactions through Survey Monkey so that results and
analysis is readily available and be used frequently to understand visitor desires and
modify the approach as necessary to maintain results
2.1.1 Sales and Industry Relations
In 2012, DCBA contracted a Sales and Industry Relations Representative. Recognizing the need for
more consistent two-way communication with our industry partners and to enhance industry
engagement, this role assists in filling these requirements. Further details for industry relations
are outlined in Appendix G.
2.1.2 Target Markets
Canadian
Mainland Nova Scotia, primarily Halifax, as well as Ontario will continue to be our key Canadian
geographic regions for DCBA marketing for 2014 based on 2013 research results. Of the Canadian
visitors to the website which represent 70% of the total, 28% were from Ontario and 33% from
Mainland Nova Scotia.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
According to the 2013 Google Analytics, visitors to our website break down as indicated in the
charts on the following page:
Overall Visitation to website
Canadian Website Visitation
35%
6%
30%
25%
24%
20%
15%
10%
70%
5%
0%
Canada
United States
Other
Figures 11 and 12: Web Visitor Geographic
The marketing investment in Halifax and area will include traditional and non-traditional
methods. Due to the investment required to penetrate traditional markets in Ontario, our
investment in that region will be specifically online.
American
Our American visitation is 24% of the total with the highest interest from New York and
Massachusetts at 14% and 11% respectively. With the return of ferry service between Maine and
Nova Scotia, we will be increasing our focus on these areas in 2014 through our online campaigns
and with some traditional forms of advertising including an advertising spread in the onboard
North Star Cruises publication with other distribution channels including the Chronicle Herald to
subscribers and through Nova Star Cruises to residents of the northeastern US. We will also be
promoting Cape Breton Island in Foxborough Massachusetts during the AAA Travel Marketplace
in March.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
2.1.3 Niche Markets
Niche markets are areas of our marketing efforts that work to satisfy a specific set of needs from
a usually smaller, and more engaged demographic than the mainstream leisure markets. Each of
the niche markets will have a specific approach and management focused on the specific market.
The goals for each Niche market are outlined below and will be measured in cooperation with our
partners to evaluate and assess Niche Market results and opportunities.
The three niche markets that DCBA will work with are:
Golf Cape Breton
Once completed, the full Golf Cape Breton 2014 strategy will be available under Appendix H.
Meetings and Conventions (M&C) Market
The full Events Cape Breton 2014 strategy is currently being reviewed by the advisory committee
and will be added as Appendix I once complete.
Cruise Sector
The cruise industry is strong and growing. In fact, the cruise industry is the fastest growing
category in the leisure travel market. Since 1980, the large vessel industry has experienced an
average annual passenger growth rate of 8% per year.
As one of five main port partners, Sydney Ports has been actively engaged for years in bringing
cruise ships to Sydney and Cape Breton.
32
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
DCBA worked with Ambassatours/Grayline to assist them with developing a city tour program for
the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Ambassatours/Grayline will continue to provide doubledecker pink bus tours for the 2014 season.
We will continue to support and work with the Sydney Ports Corporation as required and
requested on an opportunity by opportunity basis.
Cruise Ship Visitors
100,000.00
90,000.00
80,000.00
70,000.00
60,000.00
50,000.00
40,000.00
30,000.00
20,000.00
10,000.00
0.00
2011
2012
2013
Figures 13: Cruise Ship Visitation 2011-2013
In addition to Sydney being a main port for Cape Breton for large vessels, the small ports of
Baddeck, Cheticamp and Louisbourg have gone through Small Port Readiness in anticipation of
the Atlantic Canada region having homeports for small luxury cruise ships (100-450 passengers).
Cape Breton small ports are ideal destinations to accommodate the small luxury cruise ships and
exploration vessels. We continue to try and mobilize Atlantic Canada partners doing primary
research within this sector that would allow us to develop appropriate product and then market
to qualified cruise lines.
Cruise Cape Breton was launched in January 2014 with the hiring of a Director of Marketing. The
goal of the small port consortium around the Bras d’Or Lake is to raise the awareness of this
cruise / boating destination to private sailing and motorized boats. In February 2014, Halifax
Waterfront Development Corporation initiated a province wide partnership, the Marine
Marketing Partnership whose goal is to develop quality products at all ports in Nova Scotia for
private luxury vessels. DCBA will work with this group while simultaneously transitioning the role
to the Director of Marketing of Cruise Cape Breton.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
2.1.4 Marketing Channels
Website
The CBIsland.com website remains the hub of activity and call to action related to marketing
Cape Breton Island as a tourist destination. In 2013, our web statistics and information gathered
from our Travel Intentions survey showed the following key points regarding use of our website:

The majority of visitors (63%) arrived at the web site via a search engine, up from 44% in
2013

66% of survey respondents were using the site primarily for planning their vacation, and 20%
were researching a potential trip

The most utilized sections of the site amongst this group were accommodations at 71% and
information about our trails, the Cabot Trail, The Ceilidh Trail, etc. at 68%
Cbisland.com will continue to evolve regularly with website technology and as a result of visitor
defined research. Some of the initiatives outlined for the 2014 season include:

Updating of the CMS to the latest version which fully supports responsive design and enables
more seamless improvements as needed

Upgrades to our steakholders’ portal and design template for listings, packages and
experiences to include the option for image galleries and consistent display among postings

Modification to the homepage for better promotion and easier access to the most frequently
visited pages which include the Cabot Trail and accommodations
Advertising Media Plan:
Our Travel Intentions and Conversion study from 2013 provides the direction needed to help
target our 2014 investment to the mediums that provided the highest return in visitor recall. The
table below outlines the recall from the main marketing channels used in 2013.
34
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
% Recall
% Spend
10
0
Figure 14: Comparison between the percentage of cost and percentage of visitor recall of primary
marketing mediums
Given this depth information, our approach to the spend in each of these channels will be
directed as follows:
Magazines and Specialty Publications
High level details for the 2014 magazine buy are below:

Saltscapes Magazine – Promotion of the “14 in 14” in the spring edition and “Top 10” in the
summer edition

Nova Scotia Motorcycle Guide – two page spread including advertising and description of the
island’s trails

Doers and Dreamers – Cape Breton Island will be featured in a four-page gatefold. The
introduction page will feature a new image of the Skyline Trail obtained from the 2013 photo
shoot, a full page dedication to The Fortress of Louisbourg to promote continued increase in
visitation driven by the Louisbourg300 celebration, and two pages promoting the island’s
“Top 10 Experiences”. See Appendix F for the full list of Top 10 experiences

The Travel Guide to Cape Breton – In 2014, a revised partnership was developed between
City Printers and DCBA for the creation and promotion of the Travel Guide to Cape Breton.
The guide will feature a new design and layout to compliment the branding elements of the
Cape Breton Island campaign, the text will be shortened and complimentary to the text
representing each trail on Cbisland.com, and the main feature of the guide will be the
experiences provided by Cape Breton operators. The guide will be distributed off-island to
35
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
subscribers of The Chronicle Herald, through our visitor kiosk on the Halifax waterfront and in
the Port Au Basque ferry terminal, at all consumer shows and as a fulfillment piece for all offisland visitor requests.
Newspapers
The Chronicle Herald is our main newspaper of choice for advertising due to its reach of our
visitor demographic in one of our main geographic areas, and because it continues to generate a
strong visitor recall according to our Travel Intentions study. High-level details of our 2014
newspaper buy are below:

20 weekly ads in total starting on May 24 and promoting the upcoming “14 in 14” events

Full page ads in both the Summer and Autumn tourism inserts
Online
Our investment in online advertisement will also focus on the channels that provided the
strongest visitor recall and most qualified web traffic measured by bounce rate and time on site.
Close monitoring of website activity and results for the past three years have shown that focusing
our online advertising to travel related sites promoting targeted and relevant content garners the
most favourable results. Using generic websites that promote impressions from high numbers of
visitors has not proven to generate quality traffic. Our online campaign for 2014 will include:

Destination spotlight and banner ads on Tripadvisor.com and Tripadvisor.ca profiling short
visitor testimonials to leverage the power of pier reviews and feedback

Partnership with the NSTA in providing content for the Cape Breton region on
Novascotia.com

Google Adwords using geographic targeting and retargeting strategies (retargeting is a form
of online targeted advertising by which online advertising is targeted to consumers based on
their previous Internet actions)

Potential further online advertising strategies to be defined
Television
In 2013, new video footage was acquired showcasing aspects of our main travel motivators and
from which a new, 30 second commercial was produced and aired on CTV in the Halifax area and
on CTV 2 throughout the Maritimes. Destination Cape Breton Association also helped to support
the airing of commercials for The Cape Breton Center for Craft and Design which promoted their
Creative Island campaign and for Celtic Colours International Festival. The results were very
36
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
strong according to our Travel Intentions study, which showed a visitor recall for our television
campaign of 57%; the highest of all mediums employed.
For 2014, we will be making some updates to the commercial content aired for the 2013
campaign and will again be promoting in the same regions on CTV and CTV2.
Also to note, in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and the Nova Scotia
Tourism Agency, an episode of The New Fly Fisher was filmed on Cape Breton Island in
September to promote fishing in the Margaree River as well as other aspects of our tourism
product. This episode is expected to air this Spring on PBS and will also be available for promotion
on Youtube.
Out of Home/Promotions
Halifax Waterfront Kiosk
The popularity of the Halifax waterfront with visitors and locals alike make this an ideal location
to reach and communicate with potential visitors to CBI. Research has shown that 42% of all
visitors to Nova Scotia visit the Halifax waterfront.
In 2012 and 2013, DCBA operated a Cape Breton Island stand-alone kiosk on the waterfront as
both an information and sales portal with the goal of sending Halifax residents and visitors to
Halifax to Cape Breton Island.
Over 9500 people received consultation at the Halifax Waterfront Kiosk in 2012. That number
increased by 16% in 2013 to almost 11,400 visitors. The kiosk is used along with the website as a
call to action for marketing messages delivered in the Halifax area. 2014 will be year two in a
three-year lease that has been signed allowing DCBA to operate a kiosk on the waterfront.
Halifax Kiosk Goals for 2014
Goals for the kiosk for the upcoming
season include:

Provide opportunity for industry
partners to leverage the kiosk as a
marketing tool for their business.
Some opportunities will include:


Display of content on the
video screens
Distribution of promotional
material
37
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan


2013
Large promotional panels showcasing an operator’s visitor experience
In person entertainment or visitor engagement

Tracking of results from kiosk consultation through Halifax Kiosk specific visitor surveys

Tracking of how visitors were driven to the kiosk

Converting kiosk visitors to Cape Breton Island visitors through a consultative sales approach
Cape Breton Bus Wraps
Cape Breton Island will continue to promote our destination using buses from the Ambassatours
fleet. In 2013 the designs on the busses were renewed to reflect our new creative elements.
38
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
These 56 passenger buses will travel throughout the Maritimes, Newfoundland, Quebec, New
England and New York.
The vehicles will be involved with cruise passengers in Halifax throughout the May to October
season and will be transporting school groups and public groups in the winter throughout Nova
Scotia. These vehicles have a huge canvass to advertise on and capture attention. When not in
use the buses would be parked facing the traffic at the Bayne street location where our Halifax
traffic can be reminded of Cape Breton Island. This opportunity results in being both a moving
and stationary billboard for Cape Breton Island.
Social Media Plan:
As an integral part of the digital presence of Cape Breton Island, Social Media will continue to play
a strong role in building awareness and sharing stories and content relevant to Cape Breton
Island’s potential and past visitors. As with the overall marketing strategy, the social media plans
follow the research, product development, and marketing continuum. Using research on the
travel industry as well as what our own channel insights are showing, relevant content is created
in order to share and promote Cape Breton travel experiences with the overall goal of increasing
visitors to Cape Breton Island.
In 2014, a new strategy is being implemented for social media communication. A profile is being
developed for an ambassador referred to as “The Cape Bretoner” who will become the voice for
our social media channels. Using authentic, Cape Breton style communication, The Cape Bretoner
will keep our audiences engaged in topics of interest and reasons to visit.
The Social Media channels included in the DCBA 2014 strategy are outlined below:
39
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
FACEBOOK - WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/TOURISMCB
The goals and results for Cape Breton Island’s Facebook page for 2013 were as follows:

Target of 20% increase to our follower base, approximately 4050 followers.


Provide a channel for past visitors to share their Cape Breton Island experience


Followers increased by 55% to 5700
Comments and testimonials from visitors are now being captured and used to help
promote the destination through our online channels, i.e. in our Facebook banner
and in our Trip Advisor advertising
Engage our audience and provide relevant content and information targeted towards our key
traveler types – Cultural Explorer and Authentic Experiencer. Target of 15% engagement rate.

Engagement in the content posted on Facebook has had strong growth. When
averaging out the likes, comments, shares and clicks of all the posts over the 2013
season, the following average engagement per post has been achieved.
40
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
DCBA uses Edgerank checker to benchmark Cape Breton Island’s Facebook efforts against the
Travel / Leisure industry in North America, for which we consistently rank above the industry
average. Edgerank reports show results for the past 30 days of activity which are summarized
below:
Industry Average
Cape Breton Island
Edgerank Score
11
14
Likes per fan
.56%
1.3%
Comments
0.04%
0.05%
Reach
20.83%
17.31%
Shares
0.13%
0.39%
Storytellers
0.77%
1.45%
Virility
3.7%
4.75%
Facebook has made some significant changes in 2013 that will affect brand pages and how their
content is shared with the Facebook nation. Facebook algorithms for how posts feed into a user’s
news feed have been changed. The recommendations provided by Facebook for working to
increase the chances for content to appear in news feeds are:

Be timely in your posting. Post when you are most likely to find your fans on Facebook
41
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013

Be relevant with your Content. The more your followers want to see what you are sharing the
better your overall results

Paid Facebook ads will significantly increase the amount your content is viewed by Facebook
users.
These changes will have little impact on how we plan our posting, as we have been focused on
watching and posting when our fans are most likely online and most likely to engage with the
content, and we have been focused on curating, creating & sharing content that our users engage
with and that has relevance to our goals as a tourism destination.
The focus of our Facebook initiatives for 2014 will include:

Increase our Facebook followers by 40%

Increase reach of messages measured by engagement metrics such as likes, comments and
shares

Increase the conversion from Facebook fans to website visitors

Develop an online personality to personalize and target messages to our visitor
psychographic
New visitor
to CB FB site
Share about
trip to others
on FB
Visit CB
Engage with
site
Visit Website
Figure 15: Continuum representing Cape Breton Island’s Facebook goal
42
Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
TWITTER - @TOURISMCB
Twitter has been a content channel used predominantly in the past for listening to our audience
and curating relevant content to share with Cape Breton Island followers in all social media
channels. In 2013 we saw steady growth of followers and over 25,000 clicks on our shared
content.
Twitter Content - clicks
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013
Figures 16 and 17: Twitter growth in 2013
In 2014, the Twitter channel will continue with a similar approach to using the channel to listen to
and communicate with our audience in a one on one type of communication.
Twitter Approach for 2014

Increase Twitter followers by 15%

Integrate the new Cape Breton Personality to the twitter channel and use this channel to
extol the virtues of the personality.

Continue to search key terms and words and get involved in the conversation when
appropriate to share our story and build awareness of Cape Breton as a destination. See
example of this below.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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YOUTUBE – CBTOURISM
The Cape Breton youtube page is used to upload videos and embed or share video links as
content in our other online channels. As a strong added benefit, youtube insights provide good
demographic and viewership information that is key in planning to better take advantage of
youtube as a promotional resource.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Figure 18: Youtube activity in 2013
Youtube approach for 2014
The recommended approach for Youtube in 2014 is to simply maintain our presence on the site
and continue to effectively title and tag our videos for good search rankings. Should the overall
marketing plans call for more video creation, it should be such that all videos are uploaded to
Youtube and shared from this platform. As the #2 search engine, and with such strong user
engagement, Youtube is an important channel to be sharing our story in 2014.
PINTEREST
In 2013, Pinterest was a channel that we decided to follow due to its growth in popularity and the
inclusion of a travel category within the platform. Continued growth of use and work on
segmenting categories make Pinterest a good channel in which to maintain a presence.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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In 2013 a new feature was added to Pinterest that allows user to pin things and map them as
well. This will allow a user to either search through images by geographic region through a map
or add map information to their pictures. This feature makes Pinterest an even more valuable
resource for destination marketing.
Pinterest approach for 2014

Increase our presence on Pinterest.

Utilize the new map feature to update and add content to our Pinterest site, in turn, making
it more relevant to our audience.
INSTAGRAM
Instagram has seen significant growth by user base in the last year. Since being purchased by
Facebook, the integration with Facebook and the cross platform engagement by users has been
growing substantially. As more research is done and stats are released, it is clear that Instagram is
a viable platform to use in order to help tell our story.
Basic Instagram Stats:

150 million users

16 billion photos shared

1 billion likes happening each day

Has become one of the most engaging channels in social media today

On average for every 33 likes of a post you will get 1 comment
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Instagram Approach for 2014

Launch a Cape Breton Island Instagram account in spring of 2014. Quick ramp up of followers
will be key in order to reach strong engagement rates

Focus on the photos and not the text so much for this channel. Include a call to action
embedded on the photos as opposed to in the text posts.

Focus on effectiveness for interactions (engagement) in scheduling posts. (For example: The
most popular day to post on Instagram is Thursday, however, Sunday has better levels of
engagement, and Using no filter or Instagram’s Mayflair filter draws more engagement from
users than the most popular filters.)

Utilize unique and key hashtags to encourage sharing of relevant Cape Breton Photos. Two
key Recommended hashtags are:

#MyCapeBretonFavs - This would be used by Instagram users to share photos of their
Favorite Cape Breton Place or Experience

#YourHeartWillNeverLeave - This keeps in line with our Branding and allows people to share
those “wow” moments they capture with a photo. I expect to see a lot of Skyline Trail and
Cabot Trail Photos tagged with this hashtag.
Consumer and Media Shows
In 2013, DCBA attended:

New York Travel Show

Ottawa Travel & Vacation Show

Rendez Vous

Saltscapes Halifax

Pride Halifax
In 2014 our consumer and rade show strategy will be to focus on operator content, experiences
and mobilization. Industry representation will be key at the large shows like Saltscapes Atlantic
where the focus will be on the “14 in 14” Cape Breton Island events
Shows we are attending this year will include:

Toronto Outdoor & Adventure Show, Toronto, Ontario

AAA Travel Marketplace, Foxborough, MA
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan

Ottawa Travel & Vacation Show, Ottawa Ont

Saltscapes Halifax, Halifax NS

Inverness County Expo Halifax, NS

Atlantic Canada Showcase
2013
Partnerships:
Nova Scotia Tourism Agency
As a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) working to bring us to a leadership position in
the Maritime Provinces, it is imperative that we work closely with our partners at the Provincial
level to promote Cape Breton Island. Through relationship building and supporting in provincial
programs, we will work to better be able to showcase Cape Breton’s Core Experiences through
the Provincial marketing efforts. This is being done through working with provincial partners on
the following tasks:

Sharing of images and tourism related content for novascotia.com and other marketing
initiatives

Maintaining communication with the marketing personnel to ensure consistent updating of
plans and results

Partnering with provincial plans to attend consumer shows
2013 Marketing Partnerships
Destination Cape Breton Association will be coordinating with several of the key tourism
organizations, who heavily market Cape Breton products and experiences, to define synergies
where partnering can extend the overall reach of our destination to our target
demographic/psychographic markets.
Partnerships were initiated last year, the results from which were sharing of Google Adwords
strategies to avoid competing for keywords and driving up costs, partnering on several targeted
media opportunities for increased presence and impact (i.e. tourism inserts in the Chronicle
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Herald and specialty publications, television advertising as described the Television section of the
Advertising Media Plan) and communication on results achieved.
In 2014 our objective is to grow the number of tourism organizations in the partnership model
initiated in 2013 and to further our mutual participation. Some of the ways we will measure the
effectiveness of this strategy will be the advertising recall % in the 2014 Travel Intentions study,
the overall reach of our joint campaigns, and visitor participation in the experiences promoted by
the partnering organizations.
2014 Research
With DCBA’s strong focus on research for decision making, we use several sources to obtain and
validate data. Those sources are defined below:
Travel Intentions Study

Administered on our behalf by Vision Critical

Used by many States and Provinces to gather visitor research, including NSTA

Data gathered through survey request populating to visitors of Cbisland.com

Survey runs from March – September 30

3,277 surveys completed for 2013, increase in participation of 51% over 2012

Used to analyze






Visitor demographic
Visitor geographic
Advertising recall
Intent to travel to Cape Breton
Expected number of travel days
Effectiveness of campaign and mediums
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Conversion Study

Administered on our behalf by Vision Critical

Next step after Travel Intentions

Data gathered through follow up survey to those who responded to the Travel Intention
survey that they would participate in a second round

Survey runs from October - November

Used to analyze





Average length of stay
Average spend per visitor party
Top travel motivators
Most popular activities
Return on investment from advertising buy
Google Analytics provides:

Number of site visits

Geographic location of visitors

Visitor engagement i.e. time spent on site and bounce rate

Changes in visitor behavior over user defined time periods

Sources of traffic to the site
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan

Most popular site pages

How visitors use the site

Impact of Google Adwords
2013
Operator Surveys

Data gathered and analyzed in Survey Monkey

Survey runs throughout tourism season

112 survey responses for 2014

Surveys are used to analyze




How business is going for operators in the current season
What if any changes operators are experiencing in their visitor base over past years
If operators are connecting with our visitor services staff to keep them updated on
available experiences
Cross reference results by region, business changes, and partnership with DCBA
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Cape Breton’s Visitor Servicing Agenda
The Visitor Information Centers (VICs) on Cape Breton Island operate in partnership between
DCBA and the local tourism associations or municipalities. The partnerships are based on
developed Memorandums of Understanding (MOU).
DCBA administers funding through a Provincial Employment Program (PEP), provides training, and
supervision. The Baddeck Area Business and Tourism Association (BABTA), the Margaree Tourism
Association, the Municipality of Richmond County, Louisbourg Harbour Authority and Cape
Breton Regional Municipality (through our current sustainability funding) are fully engaged
financially with their respective VICs to cover cost over and above the PEP subsidy, and continue
yearly to play a more active role in the management of their local area VICs. DCBA continues to
provide training, supervision and support to the VICs covered under these agreements, as well as
to the community VIC located in Chéticamp.
Depending on the details in each area’s respective MOU, DCBA may also provide payroll services
host the internet network connecting them to DCBA and one another. As of 2013, Louisbourg
Harbour Authority is now facilitating payroll and administrative services for the visitor center in
Louisbourg and it is anticipated the centre will come under the parent of Synergy Louisbourg in
2014.
In 2014, we will work with industry, municipal, and community partners to develop a strategy
that meets the needs of the visitor, while driving incremental tourism revenues in Cape Breton.
3.1 2013 Review
In 2013, VIC councilors received updated training on social media, sales, and customer service;
equipping them with the appropriate tools to assist visitors in their search for tailored Cape
Breton products and experiences. Providing VICs and operators with resources to facilitate
connectivity and information sharing helped operators provide a more sellable product and, at
the same time, enabled the VIC staff to provide more variety for the visitor, ultimately engaging
the visitor to stay longer and spend more while enriching their experience.
Moving into 2014, DCBA will work with the municipal tourism bodies to continue to equip VIC
staff with the appropriate tools and training to successfully develop and sell Cape Breton product.
Understanding the impact that VICs can have on a visitor's experience and on the tourism
economy, a goal of increasing visitors serviced by 10% at our VICs was set for 2013. The actual
increase realized was 11.9%.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
Area
Visitors
2013
Change from 2012
Baddeck
25,175
+14.2%
Cheticamp
14,975
+3.9%
Inverness
4,572
-21.4%
Louisbourg
8,282
+26%
Margaree
8,607
+18.6
St.Peter’s
14,390
+5.2%
Sydney
23,236
+20.4%
Halifax
11,399
+16.3%
YTD TOTAL
110,636
+11.9%
Figures 19: 2013 VIC visitors per location
In 2010, as part of the Nova Scotia Visitor Exit Survey conducted by Economic and Rural
Development and Tourism, it was found that visits to a VIC significantly impacted the visitor’s
knowledge and experience of the area as well as their length of stay in Nova Scotia.
In 2013, DCBA asked visitors to Cape Breton Island the same questions as were asked in the
provincial survey through our Conversion study to determine the impact of our local VIC. The
impacts are defined in the chart below.
2010 NS Exit Survey
2013 CB Conversion
% of visitors taking part in experience
% of visitors extending stay
34%
4%
62%
10%
% learned about an event
61%
72%
% visited another area of the province
31%
50%
Figures 20: Impact to visitors of consultation with VIC representatives
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Number Impacted
Financial Impact
Took part in an experience
65,594
$1,714,858
Extended their stay
11,064
*$1,963,094
Figures 21: Financial impact of consultation with VIC representatives
*Impact of extended stay excludes cruise ship visitors serviced
Geographic Location of Visitors to VICs (%)
5835
16611
9598
Ontario
USA
Nova Scotia
9708
Quebec
17967
Western Can
International
9967
Other ATL
12672
Figure 22: Geographic Location of Visitors to Information Centres
3.1.1 Recap of 2013

Increase the number of visitors to our VICs by 10%;


Cape Breton Island VICs experienced an 11.9% increase in visitation for a total of
110,636.
Conduct one combined Industry and Travel Counsellor Familiarization Tour to increase
product knowledge and cross-selling opportunities between industry and VICs;


FAM tour completed. VIC travel councillors and several front line staff from major
hotels in attendance.
Product knowledge focus on Louisbourg 300 and St. Ann’s Gaelic College 75th
anniversary celebrations.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan

Pilot project selling Parks Canada passes and Cape Breton books at Sydney VIC;


DCBA has discovered that our visitors are requesting provincial and regional travel
guides, brochures based on key travel motivators, trail information, outdoor
activities, walking maps, artisan information, major attractions, and other
destinations. Since 2012, we have experienced a significant decrease in traditional
rack card usage.
Conduct two Industry Professional Development sessions to reinforce a tourism culture in
Cape Breton.


Calls occurred on Monday morning.
Collection of data on specific collateral our visitors want and use;


One-on-one meetings completed with each staff member to reinforce training re:
business profiles, packages, and experiences on CBIsland.com itinerary builder tool.
Initiate Monday Morning Information Sessions to foster communicate between DCBA and
VICs, to engender a cooperative approach, provide market updates, discuss progress towards
2013 sales goals, provide training, and problem-solve opportunities for improvement;


Full day of training took place May 21st. Topics included:
 Encouraging communication via websites, social media, etc.,
 Relating and explaining the significance of current technology approaches,
 Providing interactive opportunities to practice and develop new skills, and
 Focusing on a consultative visitor interactive approach.
Consistent user friendly resource tools for VIC/Operators to build better communication;


VIC staff received initial training on the BURC (Building Report, Uncovering Clues,
Recommending Experiences, and Closing the Visit) sales and communications
methodology.
Core VIC staff to be given additional technology training;


Lack of POS systems make this problematic – will continue to revisit
Core VIC staff participation in training sessions to enrich the visitor experience and encourage
increases in length of stay and spend;


2013
Task has been postponed and will be re-visited in 2014-2015.
Introduce advertising directory to compensate for trend moving away from printed
brochures;

Structures have been acquired and designs completed; displayed in the Halifax Kiosk.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan

2013
Continued partnership with Cruise Ship Information Kiosk to cover increased 2013 activity;

18,472 cruise ship passengers supported.
Quality
The Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism concluded the 2009 season
with the abolishment of the Award of Quality Program. DCBA recognizes the importance of
visitor information centres adhering to quality standards and annually contracts a recognizable
and reputable organization to ensure professional standards are continuing to be met. An annual
inspection in the form of a mystery shop is conducted. The NSTA financially supports the program
and VIC inspections. DCBA will continue to support the measurement of professionalism and
effectiveness within our Visitor Centers, and will therefore continue to participate in this program
moving forward.
3.2 Go Forward and 2014 Goals
Tourism marketing initiatives are designed to lure visitors to a particular place, but visitor
servicing acts as an information-source, motivating visitors to do more, stay longer, and
essentially, spend more money.
To be as effective as possible, visitor centres need to be strategically located, operate as a
partner network, and be hosted by its respective community.
3.2.1 Key Goals for Visitor Services in 2014:

Increase the number of visitors to our VICs by 10% to 121,700.

Transition the administration of Visitor Information Centres from DCBA to respective
municipalities and/or municipal tourism organizations.
Visitor Services Priorities for 2014:
All industry partners who participated in joint-promotion opportunities at the Halifax Kiosk in
2013 were satisfied with the efforts and results overall. This knowledge will support and drive
forward our continued partnerships moving into 2014. Since its pilot in 2012, DCBA has
increased the presence of Cape Breton Island in an effort to be more uniquely identified on the
Halifax boardwalk, an initiative we intend to maintain in 2014.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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In 2014, we will:

Operate a Cape Breton Island standalone kiosk on the Halifax Waterfront, presenting an
engaging atmosphere with animators and artists to provide a glimpse into what the visitor
could find during a Cape Breton vacation;

Operate a Cape Breton Island kiosk from the Port au Basque ferry terminal in Newfoundland
which will be staffed daily during the peak tourism season two hours prior to departure

Provide the direct promotion of the Top Cape Breton Island Experiences; and

Ensure consistent user friendly resource tools for VIC/Operators to build better
communication;

Work with staff and Municipal representatives/tourism associations to implement comments
and recommendations received from VIC staff at the conclusion of the 2013 season (see
Appendix J);
3.2.2 Actions
Capitalize on Strengths and Opportunities
Human Resources:

The knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm of VIC staff helps to add value to the visitor
experience. We must further teach staff to read the customer and their requirements, tell
our story, and capture the customer details to share. This information is extremely valuable
from a marketing perspective; in order to fully understand the visitor experience.

Enhance visitor satisfaction through highest quality of personal visitor welcome and
information service delivered at the VIC.

Clearly define role for seasonal staff from a community-owned and operated visitor
information centre versus a DCBA managed VIC

Continue hosting Monday Morning Information sessions to discuss progress toward 2014
goals, provide market updates, and foster a cooperative approach.

Integrate staff with marketing activities to create a pro-active culture.

Provide social media training sessions for core staff.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
2013

Implement a VIC satisfaction survey process to evaluate services. All relevant feedback to be
incorporated into future planning.

Extend the outreach of information gathering and sharing currently happening between VICs
and operators to engage others to expand our information network.
Marketing:

Integrate with marketing activities to reinforce our brand at every touch point

Work with industry and marketing to make it easy for potential visitors to plan and book their
visits to and within Cape Breton.

Support Cape Breton major marketing campaigns by providing relevant information and
facilitating the telling of our major stories of interest to visitors.

Increase volume to Visitor Centres through cross promotion of distribution channels and
integration with marketing initiatives to maximize visitor spend.

Develop and implement a promotional campaign to inform visitors of services provided at
VICs.
Industry:

Engage industry and extend the outreach currently happening between VICs and Operators
to expand information network – create a tourism culture.

Develop common service standards and training for industry front line staff.

Work with industry to become active in Visitor Services.
Partnerships:

Engage the appropriate provincial Tourism staff responsible for Visitor Servicing in discussions
on Visitor Services funding through our Partnership Agreement.

MOUs and partnerships with area associations and municipalities strengthened with longterm planning.

Formalize an MOU for Visitor Information Centre(s) within the CBRM.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Moving into 2014, DCBA will continue its partnership with the Golden K at the Sydney Marine
Terminal Information Kiosk, as well as increase presence at the Port Aux Basques Marine Atlantic
terminal by means of a staff person.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Summary of Findings: Accelerated Market Readiness Program
This report summarizes Cape Breton tourism operator needs and recommendations as a result of
their participation in the Accelerated Market Readiness (AMR) Program implemented for the
Destination Cape Breton Association (DCBA) during the summer of 2013.
Results
Sector Participation
In all 30 operators from several sectors participated in the program, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Sector Participation in AMR 2013 (n=3)
Attractions
11
Potential Attractions
2
Accommodations
8
Restaurants
3
Activity Providers
3
Gift Shops/Galleries
3
Total
30
Packaging
In all, 7 operators have participated in Packaging initiatives with others. Three (3) additional
operators have tried packaging with little success and two (2) were attempting to package this
Fall due to a special participation offer by Nova Scotia Tourism. While not questioned as to why
they did not do more packaging, many operators volunteered that it simply isn’t worth their time.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Suggested Areas for Improvement
Recommendations to operators generally fall into four (4) areas: 1. Human Resources, 2.
Marketing, 3. Product Development, 4. Partnerships, 5. Planning/Management, 6. Infrastructure,
and a catchall, 7. Other. The number of suggestions in each area is presented below.
1. Human Resources
Many operators noted the need for additional staff (in various capacities) to ease their burdens
but the main need by accommodations and restaurants is the difficulty in finding people willing to
work in rural areas. This shortage is one common to operators across Canada.
HR Capacity Building
Additional Staff (needed)
9
HR Issues (difficulty in finding people)
7
Professional Development/ Build Capacity/Training
5
Staff Name Tags
3
Succession Planning (staff)
2
HR Performance appraisals
2
Staff Scheduling
1
2. Marketing
Most operators had some website recommendations. About half (10) had suggested revisions
while the other half (10) could benefit from a review through the tt.com program, once it has
been revised.
Several have records (many on paper) and do not understand the benefit and/or worth of their
own databases and/or how it can be used for marketing purposes.
Recommendations to visit pricing structure and on-site signage (or signage to the site) as well as
strengthening customer service through an evaluation are also proposed.
Markets and marketing recommendations, as well as profiling visitors, tracking and recording
visits and market planning are also common. The findings point to an underlying need for
marketing-related workshops that cover the fundamentals (and go beyond where to advertise).
Social marketing – in particular, the use of Facebook to drive tourism business – is a
recommendation for half the participations.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Marketing
Website (incl. TT.com review)
20
Database (creating & selling); computerized records
15
Pricing
12
Signage
10
Markets & Marketing
10
Customer Service/ Evaluation (VSP)
9
Visitor Profile; Advertising (Tracking) & Recording Visits
8
Market Planning
7
Online selling
3
Membership in DCBA
2
Business Cards
2
Trends (info on…)
1
Clearly mark On-sale Items
1
Suggestion Box
1
Social Media
Facebook (to encourage sales)
13
Social Marketing (generally)
5
YouTube videos
1
Trip Advisor (encourage use)
1
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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3. Product Development
Most recommendations in product development are specific to the operation (12) and a third of
participants (10) can benefit from emphasis of their respective themes and take this throughout
the operation. Merchandising/product display improvements and product reviews are also
suggested. Additional recommendations include: examining best practices, creating gift
certificates (to help with cash flow and advertising on Facebook), in-room information on the
property (for accommodation operators), developing a guided or self-guided tour and
experiential product development (i.e. through GMIST).
Product Development
Product Development (specific to operation)
12
Theme/story development
10
Merchandising/ Product display
7
Product Review
7
Best Practice Review in respective area
4
Gift Certificates
4
In-room Information Piece
4
Guided or Self-guided Tour
4
GMIST
4
Technology - incorporate, integrate
3
Curb Appeal
3
Special Events, event planning (scheduling & training)
2
Develop/include Local Art/ Artist Profiles
2
Buying/Inventory
2
Menu planning
2
Orientation Exhibit
1
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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4. Partnerships
Almost a third could benefit from partnerships and do not get the opportunity to network and
explore possible options. On a related topic, the need to network with other organizations and
make them aware of tourism product offerings is also suggested.
Partnerships
Partnerships
8
Networking (reception, interaction with other orgs, FAM)
7
5. Planning/Management
Several operators demonstrated a need for planning/strategy, including workshops in these
areas.
Planning, Management
Planning/Strategy (includes workshops)
8
Key Performance Indicators
2
Leadership
1
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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6. Infrastructure
Several had ideas for renovations and expansion already in the works and where relevant, were
encouraged in proceeding with these efforts (sometimes in a phased manner). Other
infrastructure needs – from a market readiness perspective -- included those listed below.
Recommendations around hardware/software included the need to embrace technology with
POS systems and on-site computer reservation systems.
Infrastructure
Renovations/ Expansion
(proceed with existing plans)
9
Bathrooms
3
Lighting, seating
Hardware/Software
POS (Point of Sale) System
4
2
3
Computerized Reservation
System
Floors
2
New Computer(s)
2
Physical Location of Office
1
Septic System
1
Campground Hookups,
Washrooms
1
Elevator
1
7. Funding
Several operators are in a position to seek funding but are unaware of what is available.
Funding (what's out there?)
Grants
3
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Conclusion
The assignment and purpose of the project was to deliver the AMR program to 30 tourism
businesses on Cape Breton Island. Specific recommendations are found in each AMR report and
tailored to the market readiness needs of each operator. It is hoped the above
findings/recommendations arising from the AMR process can point to areas where DCBA can be
of further assistance to operators.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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Locals Know: From CBRM Pilot Project to Island Wide
January 2014:
DCBA offered an incentive for participants to complete an online questionnaire in an effort to
gather feedback from year one. Unfortunately, very few participants completed the
questionnaire, and as a result, the majority of feedback received is based on verbal comments
relayed to our staff throughout the summer season.
The first step of expanding the “Locals Know” initiative Islandwide is research and information
gathering. In February, a series of focus groups will be developed and conducted across the
Island. The participants will include a cross section of 2013 participants, representatives from
each Municipality, and representatives from all relevant tourism agencies (BABTA, MTA, NEHCC).
The objective of the focus groups is to firstly conduct a SWOT assessment of the 2013 initiative,
and secondly discuss how best to move said initiative forward for 2014 (i.e. how to compile and
distribute the information to each region on a regular basis, and whether there are student
positions within each Municipality to take on the task). We must also identify a centralized
location for content population. Ross and Kelsey will facilitate the focus groups.
January/February 2014 and ongoing:
With a few tweaks, the Festivals and Events platform on www.cbisland.com may be a simple
solution to the need for a centralized location of information. Recommended tweaks include:
event listings should be linked to existing Locals Know page, and an “add to my event schedule”
should be developed, allowing both businesses/participants and visitors to create a locals know
printable card. This would allow operators and business owners the ability to populate the cards
based on their specific region and “their” visitors needs/wants.
One benefit would be frequent festival and event listing updates. Administrators would be
permitted access via www.cbisland.com/members and VICs could potentially fill in the gaps for
their respective regions. Housing the “locals know” online platform on www.cbisland.com
allows businesses easy and regular access.
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Destination Cape Breton Association Strategic Plan
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March 2014:
A critical piece to the Locals Know initiative is the development of area-specific tent cards. These
tent cards would highlight: top area attractions/activities, an area map, festival and event
snapshots for the season within the specific area, VIC Locations, and images of the region. The
card could also have advertising opportunities on the back, and could be used in restaurants, in
businesses (i.e. on counters), in accommodations, etc.
March 2014:
In an effort to engage front line tourism and hospitality employees, non-traditional tourism
employees (gas stations/retail, etc.) and community residents to experience Cape Breton tourism
offerings first-hand, DCBA will approach our Icon Experiences (Parks Canada, Gaelic College,
Membertou Heritage Park, CBU Art Gallery, Cape Breton Miner’s Museum, Celtic Music
Interpretive Center, Sydney Mines Fossil Museum, Old Sydney Society, and Highland Village) to
host a one or two day familiarization event, in which tourism and hospitality employees are
granted free admission to participating siutes, and non-traditional tourism businesses and
residents are granted admission at half price.
We intend to promote this initiative through social media channels, via our industry e-newsletter,
as well as on community radio advertisements. Date TBD (late April/early May).
June-October 2014:
Participants have the option to print cards themselves (at their home/business), pick the cards up
from their local VIC, or potentially have the cards delivered each Monday (i.e.
Municipality/tourism assoc. summer students).
June-October 2014:
As per 2013, DCBA will continue to entertain daily radio spots on the Hawk and the Coast;
highlighting things to do Islandwide. It is DCBA’s intent to maintain these stations, as well as
approach the Giant/Eagle and CB Radio (CJCB/the Cape/Max FM) for public service
announcement spots as well. The calls should be based on the locals know information for that
week. For consistency and ease, the segments should be taped and distributed to the stations
weekly instead of recorded live daily.
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Recap:
Date
January 2014
January 2014
February 2014
February 2014
March 2014
March 2014
April 2014
April 2014
June-October 2014
June-October 2014
Deliverable
Potential participants identified and invitations
to participate in focus groups distributed
Depending upon participant #s, 1-2 focus
groups with key stakeholders scheduled
Festivals and Events platform tweaked on
www.cbisland.com
Work with industry and municipality
representatives to identify top ten things to do
in each region
Tent card development
Begin conversation re: one to two day
familiarization event with icon experiences
Begin spreading the word to industry/residents
re: familiarization event
Approach the Eagle/Giant and Cape Breton
radio
Card/information distribution
Recordings forwarded to participating radio
stations
Budget:
Focus groups (refreshments):
$300.00
Festivals and Events platform (www.cbisland.com):
$5,000.00
Tent cards (5000):
$15,000.00
Card expense:
$10,000.00
Card distribution (in-kind):
$5,000.00
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Training available through NSTHRC
WorldHost- Communication Tools for the Service Professional: Building on the communication
principles presented in WorldHost Fundamentals, this course provides service professionals with
enhanced service skills required to deliver memorable quality visitor and customer experiences.
WorldHost- Customers with Disabilities: The Customers with Disabilities program will give
employees the tools they need to provide excellent customer service for a range of needs. As
part of the WorldHost family of programs, this course is designed to increase front-line
employees' sensitivity toward people with disabilities, and to provide superior customer service
skills that respect every visitor's unique needs.
WorldHost- Fundamentals: A fast-paced, interactive one-day workshop which focuses on the
needs of our visitors and customers and teaches the skills and techniques necessary for the
fundamentals of service professionalism. Courtesy, friendliness and professionalism are essential
ingredients of any successful business or organization. WorldHost encourages us to take pride in
ourselves, in what we do and and where we live.
SuperHost Atlantic – Expect Excellence: This fast-paced, interactive one-day workshop
concentrates on communication, interpersonal skills, professionalism and pride. SuperHost
Atlantic looks at our attitudes to service, the way we relate to our customers and how to turn
relationships with customers into better business. It is a cost-effective way to train your staff and
increase your bottom-line.
Service 1st – Making the Connection: Service 1st – Making the Connection is the newest addition
to the Service Excellence family of programs. This four-hour interactive program examines
relationships with customers and guests and encourages all participants to “make the
connection, which will lead to enhanced bottom lines, better service experiences for the guests
and an increased pride in service.
Tourism Essentials: Tourism Essentials is a national workbook developed by employers to provide
new employees with the basic skills required to succeed in tourism. Topics include:
demonstrating a positive attitude, demonstrating responsibility and adaptability, demonstrating
communication and thinking skills, and demonstrating the ability to work with others.
Workplace Essentials: Workplace Essentials is a national workbook which covers areas
appropriate for success in the workforce. Topics include: demonstrating non verbal
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communication, initiative conversation, being punctual and expressing personal opinions in the
workplace.
Time Management: There simply isn’t enough time to do all the things we want and need to be
done. Through proper management of time our personal and professional lives become much
more balanced. This three-hour workshop is designed to develop effective time management
skills that will aid participants in achieving their goals and living a more balanced lifestyle.
Stress Management: How you manage stress has great influence on your ability to reach out to
other people, function effectively in your work and generally manage life. This six-hour workshop
is designed to assist the participant in identifying the stressors in their personal and professional
life, recognizing the stress cycles and the effects that stress has on them and breaking any
negative patterns.
Personal Budgeting Basics: Planning and organizing a personal budget within your financial means
is a tough skill. In this workshop you will learn more about financial principles and the
terminology to help you create your own household budget and spending plan. You will also learn
how to plan and budget for your future and gain confidence to meet with financial planners and
understand their terminology. The participant will finish the program with the skills required to
implement effective personal financial management that will aid them in achieving their goals for
a more secure future.
Workplace Etiquette: People tend to form their impressions of us based on how we handle
ourselves in a variety of situations. Because of this it is extremely important that we have a solid
grasp of the skills required to practice proper etiquette. This three hour workshop is designed to
assist the participant in the development of the interpersonal skills and social professionalism
necessary to build quality relationships with co-workers and customers.
Tourism WHMIS (online): The course meets the legislated worker training requirements for all
Federal and Provincial workplaces in all provinces and territories.
Basics.fst Food Safety (online): This program is one of the leading food safety training programs in
the country. This course will prepare you to write the Basics.fst exam.
Serve Right – It’s Just Good Business Responsible Beverage Service (Servers – Workshop and
online): The Serve Right program is about changing views of alcohol service in the Tourism
Industry. Staff who serve alcohol need to understand their part in the industry’s response to a
changing business climate. Management of hotels, restaurants, clubs and bars are looking at new
plans for keeping or improving profits with lower alcohol sales. The goal is to find ways to keep
both the guest and the public safe while continuing profitable, enjoyable and hospitable service.
Team Excellence: Team Excellence emphasizes that high performance teams can produce
powerful results and exceptional customer service through both a personal and team
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commitment. Teams that exceed customer expectations and build customer loyalty are teams
that work at effective communication, work at providing constructive feedback, and work at
understanding the difference in each other’s styles.
Mature Consumer: The goal of Mature Consumer is to help businesses improve the way they
serve the senior population. With the ever-increasing number of older patrons, businesses must
learn how to benefit from the age-wave. This one-day training session not only gives valuable
service tips but also allows participants to “walk a mile” in a senior’s shoes. A business that
becomes trained to serve the senior customer, not only wins the loyalty of its senior customers
but benefits by attracting new customers from Canada’s largest demographic market.
Service Excellence in the Global Village (Workshop and online): Enhancing awareness of customers
and co-workers who are culturally, ethnically or linguistically different from us can broaden our
experience and knowledge as well as theirs. Travel with us through the three-hour workshop and
learn to increase excellent service across cultures.
Sales Powered by Service: It is important to know that we are all in sales. A customer expects
everyone working in a organization to have answers to their questions and solutions to their
problems. The Sales Powered by Service training session will get your team charged with service
tips for better customer care by providing interactive, practical and applicable skills that your
people can implement immediately
Supervisor Essentials – Fundamentals of Leadership: This full day workshop will give supervisors
the tools they need to succeed and excel with day-to-day human resource issues. The Supervisor
Essentials, covers three essential skill sets required of an effective supervisor in the tourism
sector; personal and professional skills, communication and leadership.

Delegate Tasks Effectively

Promote Teamwork

Motivate Employees

Solve Problems

Effective Communication

Adult Learning Principals
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Supervisor – Human Resource Management: The Human Resource Management training teachers
a wide range of supervisory skills. These include the many critical tasks in assessing job
requirements, such as knowing how to find and retain good staff, interviewing and selecting
candidates. Participants will also learn how to plan and implement training and coaching, to
manage employee performance.

Recruitment Strategies

Interviewing Strategies

Coach and Mentor

Performance Reviews

Motivate long term employees vs younger generation

Dismissal and Exit Interviews

Performance Coaching
HR Tool Kit – Human Resource Essentials: The HR Tool Kit – Human Resource Essentials workshop
offers managers and operators of small to medium sized organizations tools and resources to
meet their human resource challenges and combines the resources with the knowledge of how
to apply them back in the workplace. The workshop includes the Performance First HR Toolkit, CD
of forms and templates to customize for your organization and guest speakers. This one-day
workshop covers critical components of human resource planning for business including:

Recruitment and Selection

Hiring

Training

Coaching and Performance Management
Train the Workplace Trainer: Within the Tourism Sector we rarely have the time or the resources
to send employees away for days of formal training. So the bulk of our training takes place at
work and involves a lot of one-on-one training. The workplace trainer needs the skills to uncover
the wealth of knowledge that is in each employee and to assess the most effective method to
ensure the trainee learns what needs to be learned. The goal of this two day Train the Workplace
Trainer program is to provide trainers with an understanding of adult education principals, plus
provide information about and opportunities to practice training and coaching skills.
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Serve Right – It’s Just Good Business Responsible Beverage Service (Managers): The Serve Right
program is about changing views of alcohol service in the Tourism Industry. Staff who serve
alcohol need to understand their part in the industry’s response to a changing business climate.
Management of hotels, restaurants, clubs and bars are looking at new plans for keeping or
improving profits with lower alcohol sales. The goal is to find ways to keep both the guest and the
public safe while continuing profitable, enjoyable and hospitable service.
HR Tool Kit Workshop: The HR Toolkit is a comprehensive resource for your daily and strategic HR
needs. Developed by human resource specialists and tourism professionals, it provides practical
tools and resources perfect for anyone with HR duties in the tourism industry. With the emerit HR
Tool Kit, you’ll develop a forward-thinking and tactical approach for handling resource allocations,
recruitment and internal policies.
Enhance your learning experience and HR practices with the
HR Tool Kit. It is available online as well as in a workshop format.
Download user-friendly, customizable templates and forms for job offer letters, training plans,
employee manuals and much more! This self-directed training option gives you everything you
need to select, recruit, hire, train, coach and manage employees effectively. There are 24
customizable templates for job descriptions, wellness surveys, etc. and 39 tools for interview
checklists, staffing reminders and much more!
Business Builders Series Workshops: emerit Business Builders includes practical, straightforward
tourism business management information, tools, resources and templates. Ideal for
entrepreneurs and small tourism business owners and operators, this CD explores the basics of
business planning, development and management. The CD also includes English and French
versions.
The CD contains vital information that can be customized for the individual’s business needs.
Business owners receive 12 PDF Worksheets and checklists relating to advertising strategies,
customer service and purchase orders, 12 Excel samples or template files on balance sheets, cash
flow and income statements, and 12 report examples including business and marketing plans, a
job offer and a discipline letter.
This resource consists of six valuable modules covering everything a small business owner should
know. It includes:

Business Planning

Financial Management

Human Resource Management

Marketing

Sales and Service
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Managing Operations
The modules function as a “how to” resource, leading you through the critical steps of small
business planning and management, and covers everything from developing a solid business plan
to product development and marketing.
Food and Beverage Manager Study Groups: Available across the province.
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Speed Networking
Operators are invited to participate in a speed networking session with the intent to create new
partnerships and ideas. Half of the participants are assigned to a table, and all are encouraged to
bring business cards, handouts, and other promotional materials.
Set up: each participant has a chair, and two chairs are positioned on the opposite side of the
table.
Participants are given a short talk on “Partnerships” and their importance, and are then asked to
move into their positions.
The half assigned to tables remains at their seats, while the remaining participants rotate table to
table.
Participants are given five minutes to sit with each partner (to talk about their businesses, what
they sell, and any possibility for a potential partnership),
The bell rings after five minutes, and the rotating participants go to the next table.
Participants will not have the opportunity to speak with everyone.
After about an hour or so, the group reconvenes and the “moderator” asks if the exercise was
valuable. (S)he then invites everyone to take part in a short reception in which participants have
opportunity to speak with those they did not already speak with, or participants can carry on
discussion with “potential partners”.
Participants are encouraged to stay for an hour or so with finger foods and bar service available.
A follow-up questionnaire is a critical piece to determine the effectiveness of this initiative.
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Rebranding
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Cape Breton’s Top 10
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site
Explore the largest historical reconstruction in North America where military drumming, musket
firing and lively townsfolk compete for your attention. The Fortress of Louisbourg National
Historic Site turns history into humour during dinner theatre performances, streets into stages at
evening concerts, and cannons into candid vacation moments. It’s the allure of Louisbourg.
Let the Cabot Trail amaze your senses
The Cabot Trail’s magnificent world-renowned drive is an experience unlike any other. Hike the
celebrated Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, be moved by soulful fiddle tunes
that echo off the hills near Baddeck and dine on fresh seafood in Ingonish. Plan to savour every
moment, every experience.
Take time to unwind and enjoy this masterpiece.
Golf like no one is watching
Proclaimed by Forbes magazine as ‘The Hottest Island in Golf’, our courses have long been
recognized as the best in the country. Cape Breton is home to Cabot Links, Canada’s only true
Links course, as well as award-winning masterpieces such as Stanley Thompson’s Highlands Links.
Observe a masterpiece in the making
You will discover every kind of artisan at work here—makers of kilts and quilts, baskets and glass,
along with art created from old industrial labours—blacksmithing, leather and woodworking. Our
artisans have found unique methods to preserve our history while creating one-of-a-kind
treasures that celebrate our Island.
Kick up your heels at a ceilidh
North America’s only living Celtic culture thrives here, and you can be sure we know how to put
on a Ceilidh that will keep you on your feet! With more fiddlers per capita than any other
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destination in the world, you won’t have to look far to find some jigs and reels. Just ask a local
where the party is and we can show you a move or two!
Get your hands on our history
Delve into the mind of a genius at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. Read a page
from his personal notebook, take a step with his walking stick, and explore the many inventions
created by this extraordinary man. Tour an underground coal mine with a retired miner as your
guide at the Cape Breton Miners’ Museum, and participate in a Gaelic milling frolic at the
Highland Village Museum! There’s no need to search for history here - we’ve put a bit of time
travel into each exit.
Coastal adventure
Our coastal playground will delight those who are as comfortable afloat as afoot. Explore our
shores, lakes and rivers by sail, kayak or canoe. Enjoy relaxing paddles on gentle waters, or an
exciting journey over rolling swells for a close encounter with some friendly whales. If you prefer
to sit back and enjoy the view, take a front-row seat to some of the most spectacular scenery on
the planet with endless coastline horizons.
Live our vibrant culture
Cape Breton is home to many beautiful cultures – Celtic, Aboriginal and French to name a few.
Our culture is also rooted in our mining and steel-making history. We hold our traditions close,
and love to share with visitors.
Paradise is just a hike away!
With some of the world’s most celebrated landscapes, Cape Breton calls out to be explored. Our
hiking trails range from easy strolls to rugged challenges, but the terrain yields the same result –
exceptional viewscapes that will leave you breathless.
Sail Canada’s largest inland sea
Canada’s 16th Biosphere Reserve and largest inland sea, the Bras d’Or Lake is known for gentle,
fog-free waters, beautiful anchorages, and hundreds of coves and islands. The Lakes are an
international cruising destination and offer varied boat tours, from seabird tours and ecological
sailing tours to elegant cruises.
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Industry Relations for 2014
Strategic Objectives
Industry Relations Study
DCBA is looking to assess its Industry Relations platform to ensure that stakeholders are
receiving relevant information; Product development initiatives, marketing opportunities
and other resources that they need and expect from DCBA. Our expectation is to gain a
clear understanding and evaluate how industry wants to have information communicated
to them as well as ensure that DCBA opportunities and resources are in alignment with
their needs and wants.
In an effort to create two-way communication between the organization and operators,
DCBA has hosted various networking opportunities, information sessions and seminars;
however, DCBA has struggled with capturing attendance/interest from industry at these
sessions. Also, DCBA has many offerings for operators to grow and promote their
business including free and purchasable marketing opportunities, product development
initiatives, trade show participation, and Visitor Information Center utilization, but we
have been challenged with motivating and mobilizing industry to embrace these
offerings. It is important that we understand this lack of buy-in from operators in order to
ensure that the offerings we have align with what resources the operators are looking
for.
To accomplish this objective, DCBA will contract a professional and knowledgeable
consultant to investigate the needs of Cape Breton operators, and develop a thorough
report and power-point outlining the key findings (Industry Relations) and go forward
recommendations. Operators and stakeholders have expressed in the past that they
need better communication from DCBA in regards to outgoing information (i.e.
marketing and product development opportunities). Current distribution channels
include dcba-info.com, Tourism Connect Newsletter, Industry Surveys, Information
sessions, Local Visitor Information Centers and an annual Industry day.
In spite of these offerings, we can conclude by looking at our database and historical
participation that there is only a small fraction of operators who are engaged. In
reference to electronic communication, we can see by our analytics and by those
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operators that are signed up, only a fraction of them actually open the newsletter and a
smaller fraction actually click the links for more information.
The lack of click-through leads us to question the content direction of these
communication channels and poses the questions, “do operators want a newsletter &
resource site, and if so, what is the content they want to access?”
The report and power-point will be presented to representatives from DCBA and ECBC.
*Due to timelines of this initiative, results will be analyzed and applied in season if possible.
Any other results will be rolled into the 2015 plan.
Increase motivation and attendance at DCBA events/functions
To increase opportunities for operators and Industry Partners, we will focus on
networking, Industry Interaction, Best Practice sharing, Opportunities (training,
marketing, Product development) and celebrations. DCBA will work with Chambers of
Commerce and Tourism Associations to produce events that will allow them one-on-one
contact with one another, as well as DCBA representatives.
Increase participation in opportunities – Marketing initiatives, Free and Purchasable
DCBA has several opportunities for operators to increase their marketing initiatives for no
or relatively low cost. A new feature this year will be the implementation of Screescapes
technology in four of the VICs. This technology will allow operators a new way to
advertise, as well as allow various regions an F&E listing that can be updated regularly
from one central computer. We will increase the engagement of these opportunities
and increase revenue generated from those that are purchaseable.*
In early 2014, there will be a traditional mail promotion to increase awareness of
opportunities to increase content on CBIsland.com, the newly laid out CB Travel Guide,
Booking/purchasing opportunities info, Operator Toolbox Resource (USB & Print), and VIC
Integration and DCBA resources.
*See Budget Projections
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Industry Relations Committee
The establishment of an Industry Relations Committee will take place in 2014. The
committee is to be comprised of members from Cape Breton Regional Tourism Groups,
Municipal representatives including CBRM Recreation, and operators from an Islandwide
perspective. The committee will help to improve communication within each region,
allowing for a better flow of information and communication overall.
New Adventure Product Contest
In an effort to encourage new product growth within Cape Breton, increase public
awareness, public relations and Adventure Tourism in Cape Breton, DCBA is looking to
launch a New Adventure Product Contest. The concept is to develop and launch an
Islandwide contest to attract submissions from young tourism entrepreneurs specific to
adventure product. Submissions to be evaluated by industry representatives; funding
awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in hopes of developing new product for the
2015 season.
** as a side note/suggestion to the above – I know we had discussed having a tourism
scholarship created In Lou’s name – however the thing with scholarships is that we could
potentially be offering education funding for someone to then leave Cape Breton to work
in the industry elsewhere.
With this initiative we could still honor Lou (The Lou Leith Tourism Entrepreneur Contest)
to add to “Our” industry and encourage young people to stay in Cape Breton and work
and grow the Cape Breton tourism Product.
Mentorship Program
To work with senior operators and partner them with younger operators in an effort to
share best practices in marketing, business development, and encourage successor
planning for operators.
VIC Open houses, Canadian Tourism Week, Industry Day
To create initiatives to command the attention of industry, communities, the business
community with a focus on supporting and celebrating the Cape Breton Tourism sector.
VIC Open House Events to take place during Canadian Tourism Week.
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To make Industry Day a legitimate conference setting in an effort to gain information,
education, opportunities, while create a tourism environment.
Improve/Build Relations with Provincial Counterparts
To work closely with NSTA, Destination Halifax and DMO’s around the Atlantic Provinces
to capitalize on best practices, and piggy back when possible on matching initiatives and
niche markets re: LGBT markets.
Pop-up VIC
To have a DCBA presence at community events and festivals by launching a pop-up VIC
that will mobilize itself around the Island to encourage visitors to extend their expiration
around the island, stay longer, and spend more. This initiative will also work towards
DCBA’s public relations efforts, brand identification, and community support.
VIC Support
Student application submission
Mobilization of DCBA Industry Relations
DCBA staff person will be based out of each VIC for a couple of days at the beginning of
the season. The purpose is to be available to operators for information and as a DCBA
resource.
This initiative gives operators at the beginning of the season an opportunity to access a
DCBA representative at a time when their need for information and resources is at its
highest. Being centrally located in each area encourages integration with DCBA, as well
as the VIC. Win Win.
Festival & Events
Provide administrative coordination of Provincial Festivals and Events funding program.
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Feedback from VIC Staff

Educate Port Hastings VIC on camping options outside of Parks Canada.

New computer for visitors (Baddeck).

Ventilation (Baddeck).

Collateral deliveries from Province happen every 2-3 weeks; unable to get material when the
VIC runs out suddenly or unexpectedly. Explore other methods.

Create a complete checklist of collateral that is available to VICs.

Re: shirts: golf shirts are more practical, comfortable and fit better; white works better for
all.

Need up-to-date and continuous video stream for display in VICs.

Each VIC could highlight local hikes / trails (not just CBHNP).

Create a “five most commonly asked questions” for each region.

Better signage for the Sydney River VIC.

Pens, pins, etc. to be maintained at the Sydney River VIC for small and large reunions and
conventions, in addition to individual requests.

Fan in the washroom (Sydney River).

Fix outdoor lighting (Sydney River).

Outside of building needs painting (St. Peters)

Better use of the TVs; to motivate visitors to ask questions especially about local events and
festivals.

Each VIC could send email re: construction in their respective areas.

Explore the possibility of bilingual Travel Guides.

Need a better method of keeping track of Approved Brochures list.

Accommodation and calendar updates take too long; staff is unable to do them once the
students complete their terms.

Need microphone system for bus tours (not Motorola) (Chéticamp).
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
Need all ferry schedules, fares, and times.

Explore the possibility of one, all-inclusive Atlantic Canada Map.

All VIC travel counsellors should be employees of DCBA.

Roles must be clearly defined, in addition to employer.

Emphasis on mature travel counsellors with life experience and knowledge.

In an effort to increase awareness of our tourism product and the available
experiences among our VIC staff and tourism operators, DCBA initialized a
Familiarization (FAM) tour in 2012 that engaged 22 core VIC staff and industry participants
visiting 27 island operators. This initiative was included in the 2013 VIC goals and was
completed the week of May 21, 2013.
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