News release

Improving Scenic Views in Cape Breton

Tourism, Culture and Heritage (Dec. 2003 - Jan. 2011)

TOURISM, CULTURE AND HERITAGE--Improving Scenic Views in Cape Breton


Visitors to Nova Scotia will soon enjoy even better views of Cape Breton's rugged coastline and scenic vistas, thanks to a project that will enhance and develop area viewplanes.

The province is investing $400,000 to improve the driving tour experience in Cape Breton, primarily along the popular Cabot Trail. The project will be managed by the Cabot Trail Working Association.

"The scenic beauty of our province, and of Cape Breton in particular, is a major reason that pleasure travellers choose to come to Nova Scotia," said Rodney MacDonald, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. "This project will not only improve one of our best known tourism products, it also will attract more visitors to Cape Breton and encourage longer stays."

About 35 per cent of visitors to Nova Scotia travel to Cape Breton during their stay in the province. A survey conducted in 2000 by the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage found that 21 per cent of pleasure travellers chose Nova Scotia as a destination for its coastal and general scenery. Many pleasure travellers specifically identified Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail as locations they wanted to see.

The one-time grant will be used to assess and prioritize potential and existing vistas and scenic pull-off areas. It also will be used to clear scenic viewplanes, develop interpretive and directional signs, and enhance existing scenic look-off sites.

"It is very important that we ensure that the views around the Cabot Trail, one of North America's premiere drives, are maintained, and that the experience is enhanced to allow visitors to enjoy the destination to its fullest," said Scott McAulay, chair, Cabot Trail Working Association.

The province's terrain lends itself to a variety of look-off vantage points. Nova Scotia's 2005 Tourism Plan identified the need to ensure major travelways have clear, scenic viewplanes.

Today's investment is part of $15 million in funding announced by Mr. MacDonald in December 2004. That funding is designed to help boost Nova Scotia's tourism industry in the areas of marketing, product development, and regional tourism initiatives.