9 hours ago
Cape Breton waterfall tourism a silver lining for wet Maritime weekends
When it rains on the weekend, don't expect researcher Benoit Lalonde to shed any tears.
'To me, that's great news,' said the author. 'Anytime there's a lot of rain forecasted I'm ready to go because those waterfalls are just going to get roaring.'
Lalonde has literally written the book – two books, in fact - on waterfalls in Nova Scotia.
After eleven straight weekends with at least some precipitation through much of the Maritimes, Lalonde says the extra water has given some of the hidden gems a chance to shine - particularly on Cape Breton Island.
'Definitely the Gairlock Falls in Middle River in Cape Beton has gotten a lot of traction from social media posts,' Lalonde said. 'Egypt Falls (near Margaree) has always been a big one, but I think as people take beautiful pictures and post them it just draws more and more people to them.'
Lalonde's books are popular amongst tourists.
'I'm hearing a lot of people are carrying the Waterfalls of Cape Breton book,' said Dan Coffin, manager of tourism and recreation for Victoria County.
Cape Breton's main tourism marketing organization - Destination Cape Breton - put a focus on spring waterfalls in recent years to stimulate the industry during the quieter shoulder season. Coffin said the model for this season was based the one used in Tofino, B.C. and highlights the variability of the weather.
'The people who are coming to do this are prepared and ready and are more than willing to explore waterfalls no matter what the weather,' Coffin said. He said it makes a real difference for tour operators' bottom lines.
'Having a couple of extra rooms that you pick up during the week or on a weekend can make or break, in a lot of cases, when it comes to May/June time frame,' Coffin said.
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