Cat Ferry Makes Splash in Boston
North America's fastest car ferry, the Cat, is making a splash in Boston Harbour as it hosts a floating trade show this weekend, May 19-21, to entice New Englanders to visit Nova Scotia.
"We're excited to launch this major promotion of Nova Scotia as a premiere tourism destination and the new Cat ferry route as a quick and easy way to get here," said Kelliann Dean, deputy minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. "We're proud partners with Bay Ferries Limited in establishing the new Portland, ME-Yarmouth route and we welcome our New England neighbours to sail our way this summer."
Fire boats and curious onlookers greeted the high-speed catamaran as it arrived in the harbour on Thursday, May 18. It is docked beside USS Constitution at the Charlestown Navy Yard.
"We're delighted to have the Cat here in Boston to announce the start of our service between Portland and Yarmouth," said Mark MacDonald, president of Bay Ferries Limited. "Boston is like a second home to the Cat as this is our third visit here, and we look forward to seeing both new and old friends."
A media campaign has been running since early May to invite the public to tour the Cat and the trade show on the ship's car deck. Thousands of visitors will be entertained by Nova Scotia musicians, dancers, the 78th Highlanders, and wooden boat builders during their dockside and on board visit.
Musicians include the Barra MacNeils, J.P. Cormier, Dave MacIsaac and Troy MacGillivray. An informal invitation is spreading through the Boston music scene for local musicians to join the Nova Scotia entertainers for a jam session on the dock Saturday evening.
Travel media and travel trade operators such as travel agencies and motorcoach companies were also invited to tour the ship and trade show. They joined dignitaries today in sampling Nova Scotia cuisine and learning about Nova Scotia's features as a travel destination during on board receptions.
Visitors to the ship will also get a taste of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The Maritime provinces often work in co-operation to attract visitors to the region.
This is the third time the Cat has been part of a major promotion in Boston. The previous events attracted upwards of 12,000 people. The ferry has been sailing from Bar Harbour, ME to Yarmouth since 1998.
The Boston promotion is one of many consumer-focused initiatives in Nova Scotia's marketing campaign. The campaign also includes promotions in Calgary earlier in May, the Milwaukee Celtic Festival, WI, in August, and numerous travel shows.
The marketing campaign is based on the annual tourism plan, which is developed by the joint industry-government Tourism Partnership Council. The plan is based on extensive research and designed to expand the tourism industry in Nova Scotia. It is available at www.gov.ns.ca/dtc .