There is renewed optimism that the Port Hastings Visitor Information Centre could welcome visitors once again before the end of this year’s tourism season.
Destination Cape Breton, working alongside Cape Breton’s five municipalities, has submitted a proposal to the Province of Nova Scotia to operate the centre as a pilot project. The plan has the support of all five municipalities as well as Destination Cape Breton’s Board of Directors.
For Destination Cape Breton Executive Director Terry Smith, the centre remains an essential gateway to the Island.
“It’s something that we see as the front door of Cape Breton Island. And it’s the first place where we get to show visitors our authentic Cape Breton hospitality,” Smith said.
According to Destination Cape Breton, more than 72,800 visitors stopped at the Port Hastings Visitor Information Centre in 2025, an increase of 15.5 per cent over the previous year. The organization says those numbers demonstrate there is still a strong demand for face-to-face visitor services.
The proposal submitted to the province would see Destination Cape Breton operate the centre for the remainder of the season with a budget of approximately $150,000.
Smith says the pilot project would also examine new ways of operating visitor centres that are less dependent on annual government funding.
“We wanted to look at best practice models from other jurisdictions,” he said. “They sell merchandise. They sell experiences for a commission, that sort of thing. And that’s the type of thing that we would be exploring… not just to go back to the municipalities or the province every year with a financial request, but to look at ways that it could be more self-sustaining.“
While the proposal has been under review since May, Smith says the delay is already being noticed by visitors who get confused when the centre is closed.
“Visitors are going into the gift shop next door and maybe some other businesses nearby in the area and asking them for information. That’s something that they’re not really trained to do,” says Smith.
Despite the wait, Smith says Destination Cape Breton remains hopeful that a positive decision will come soon.
“Even though we are into the season, if we did get a response that was positive, we would certainly do our best to get the centre open as soon as possible. We still want to salvage as much of the season as we can.”
